Hutchison Whampoa will introduce a new low cost player in Austria in a bid to increase its market share, according to Reuters.

The move will see Hutchison positioning a recently acquired niche player, Eety, as an independent brand, alongside its main 3 Austria operation.

Eety will use the existing 3 infrastructure and offer phone and data services, as the company bids to increase on its 60,000 customer base. Hutchison, meanwhile, is looking to increase its total market share from 27.6 per cent to a targeted 30 per cent.

Hutchison reportedly acquired the company from an Austrian consortium for an undisclosed fee.

Smaller mobile players entering Austria has become more commonplace since Hutchison acquired Orange in the country in 2013, and reduced the market to three major operators, a move which initially saw rising prices.

Hutchison’s billionaire owner Li Ka-shing continues to embark on an aggressive expansion plan across Europe. The company is going through the motions over its proposed acquisition of O2 in the UK, and earlier this year confirmed talks with Russia’s Vimpelcom over forming a joint venture in Italy.

According to GSMA intelligence, 3 is Austria’s third largest operator, behind T-Mobile and market leader Telekom Austria, with more than 3.8 million connections.