Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. has sealed Long Term Evolution (LTE) network deals with BCE Inc. (Bell Canada) (NYSE/Toronto: BCE) and Telus Corp. (NYSE: TU; Toronto: T) in Canada.

Huawei says they mark its first LTE radio access network wins with top-tier carriers in North America. The company closed the deals with the operators Thursday at a signing ceremony in Beijing, with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in attendance.

Bell Canada says that its LTE network already covers 3.5 million Canadians. Telus plans to launch its 4G offering this Friday. Both are following Rogers Wireless Communications Inc. (NYSE: RCN; Toronto: RCM) into the LTE market.

This has already been a big week for LTE north of the border. On Tuesday, Canadian authorities approved Dish Network LLC (Nasdaq: DISH)'s bid to use satellite spectrum for terrestrial LTE, ahead of a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision. (See Dish: This Year's LightSquared?) Why this matters
Huawei is edging closer to the U.S. with these LTE deals. The vendor has already been working with Clearwire LLC (Nasdaq: CLWR) on LTE TDD tests in Phoenix, but has generally lost out on big deals with Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) because of security concerns and other issues.

For more
Read more about Huawei's pursuit of U.S. business.

— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile