Australia
: Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) Limited (Hutchison), today
announced its subsidiary Hutchison 3G Australia Pty Limited (H3GA)
had successfully secured a five year loan facility of $1.5 billion
from a syndicate of major local and international banks.
The competitively
priced Australian dollar facility will be used for refinancing H3GA's
current short-term bilateral arrangements and for general working
capital requirements.
The facility
is fully guaranteed parent company Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL),
which holds 57.82% interest in Hutchison.
David
Dyson, Hutchison's Chief Financial Officer said "the support
the company is receiving from financial institutions as well as our
major shareholder is extremely pleasing.
"It
reflects a recognition of the company's fundamental strengths and
the opportunities to be realised from our growing position in the
Australian mobile market.
"This
facility, in conjunction with existing funding and equity arrangements
fully covers Hutchison's anticipated peak funding requirement of the
3G business."