-- ZTE Corp., a Shenzhen-based telecommunications equipment maker, said it has won a contract to build a 25,000km optical network for China Mobile Communications Corp. in Beijing. Financial details weren't disclosed. The China Mobile network will connect 521 nodes in 18 provinces across southern and western China upon its completion, which is scheduled for next March. ZTE has also signed an agreement with Cisco Systems Inc. to offer jointly packaged offerings for Asian telecommunications firms in Asia. The bundled offerings will include tools for building data networks.

GLOBAL FACTS

81.2M

The number of cell phone users in Brazil, representing a 23.8 percent increase during the first six months of this year.

Source: Anatel, Brazil's Telecommunications Regulatory agency