The state-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has issued a fresh tender for procuring telecom equipments for expanding its network in West Zone, says news reports.
BSNL came out with a fresh tender, following Indian Telephone Industries (ITI) Limited?s failure to provide it the required telecom equipment. Earlier, the operator had approached ITI to provide it with 63 million GSM lines to complete the phase 7 of the operator?s network expansion plan. However, ITI could not take up the offer since it failed to get on board a technology partner.
Initially, when the tender was floated, China-based equipment firm ZTE had emerged as the leading bidder in the tender. The company was awarded a major portion of the tender along with Alcatel Lucent, which was to supply telecom equipments for building an intelligent network for BSNL. For sourcing rest of the telecom equipment, BSNL offered the contract to other firms, which refused to match the low-price bid made by ZTE. Currently, BSNL has received partial supplies of the telecom equipment for the expansion of its network.
