Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) Ltd (HTA) has claimed that its merger with Vodafone Australia has been a great success. HTA has reported a profit of $467.7 million for the year and has given all the credit to the merging of the two telecom giants.

The merger was completed in June, 2009 after which a new entity Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) was formed. This had an equal partnership of both the companies.

Post the merger, HTA has come to profit after posting a loss of $163.1 million last year. Its profit through selling off of its 50 per cent stake got it a profit of $587.3 million, which has ultimately led to its profit figure.

Meanwhile, VHA has become the third largest telecom company in Australia. It has since added 584,000 customers during the second half of 2009. In total, the new entity has a customer base of 6.9 million.

With this, VHA claims, it has given other players in the market a run for their money. On top of the list is Optus. Said VHA CEO, Nigel Dews that Optus was able to maintain a decent momentum during 2009. But VHA has given them tough competition mostly in the post-paid market.