SingTel’s Australian network Optus is likely to reduce its headcount following an operational review, reports Dow Jones Newswires.

An Optus spokesperson told the news agency that the company has spent the past couple of months reviewing its local operations and that redundancies are “likely to result from this review.” The details of these personnel changes are still being worked through, however.

Although Australia’s second-largest operator could not confirm how many people would be affected, local media reports suggested around 700 jobs will be lost.

It was reported last week that Vodafone and Hutchison Whampoa are considering selling their Vodafone Australia joint venture, the number-three operator in the market, which is struggling to compete with Telstra and Optus.

The Australian said operator groups and sovereign wealth funds have been sent a “preliminary information memorandum” regarding a potential sale. Middle-East operator groups Qtel and Etisalat, South Korea’s KT, Japan’s NTT Docomo and China Telecom were all believed to have been sent the document.

According to Wireless Intelligence, at the end of last year Optus had around 9.4 million connections compared to Telstra’s 13.2 million and Vodafone Australia’s 7 million.