The world's largest 3G operator in terms of subscribers is tired of the critics that continue to focus on its loss-making 3G business. Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa urged media and analysts to look at the company's business as a whole, saying it was unfair for them to make the same conclusions now that they did three years ago at launch.
Hutchison's first-half net profit increased 53 percent, helped by a gain from its sale of Indian telecommunications assets. But for the six months ended June, Hutchison only narrowed its loss for the 3G division by 6 percent, bringing it down from $1.5 billion last year to $1.45 billion. Hutchison said it now has 15.9 million 3G subscribers worldwide, up from 14.7 million in March.
In addition, Hutchison Managing Director Canning Fok said the company may soon announce a network-sharing deal for its 3G business in the U.K.
To read more about Hutchison's results:
- check out this article from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)
- take a look at this report from telecoms.com (sub. req.)