Vodafone and cellular provider 3's parent label Hutchison today said they would combine their operations in Australia, creating a much larger carrier. The move gives the entity about 6 million cellular customers on the island nation and is being made to compete against incumbents Optus and Telstra, both of which have outpaced Vodafone's Australian wing. A combined Vodafone and Hutchison will have about $4 billion Australian dollars in revenue per year and match Optus in size.

No information has yet surfaced as to when the two plan for the deal to be approved.

The deal gives Hutchison's cellphone service a major boost in Australia and gives its subscribers their first official access to the iPhone 3G, which is already being carried by Vodafone in the country but has only been given to Hutchison's 3 network in Hong Kong and Macau.