China's Huawei Technologies Co said on Tuesday it expected similar growth from its Middle Eastern operations this year as 2009 when it achieved $3 billion in sales as the market continued to grow steadily.
"We expect the same growth," said Ihab Ghattas, assistant president for the Middle East region at Huawei. "The Middle East is a strong region for us."
China's biggest network equipment maker increased its sales in the region, which includes Gulf Arab countries, Iran and Pakistan, by 25 percent last year from $2.4 billion in 2008, even as the financial crisis took its toll on global markets, according to Ghattas.
Some of Huawei's biggest customers in the region include telecom operators Emirates Telecommunications Corp (ETEL.AD), Saudi Telecom Co 7010.SE (STC), Dubai-based telecom du DU.DU and Qatar Telecommunications Co QTEL.QA.
Ghattas said the firm was constantly looking at new deals in the region with a focus on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but declined to be more specific.
Oman Telecommunications Co OTL.OM awarded Huawei a $26 million contract in January, as the firm beat bids from Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O), Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA) and Nokia (NOK1V.HE).
