Nortel Networks announced on Friday in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong province, that it will offer GSM facilities to Pakistan.

Robert Mao, chief executive of Nortel Networks China said that GDNT, a Guangdong-based joint venture owned by Nortel Networks and two local companies, has become a major production base for its whole Asian market.

Nortel Networks, one of the biggest global telecommunications facility makers, invested in the building of GDNT in March 1995 with a total investment of US$180 million.

Its major products are GSM and CDMA wireless facilities which have been widely used in the region.

Nortel Networks and other transnational corporations believe that thanks to China's cheap labor force, rising purchasing power and unique geographical location, building a production base in China not only can give them more market share in China, but also help them expand business in other parts of Asia.

(People's Daily April 27, 2002)