Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has awarded a contract worth Rs 25 billion to Sterlite Technologies Limited for supply of optical fibre cable (OFC) for a project being implemented by the operator for the armed forces.
As per the contract, Sterlite Technologies will supply OFC for the network rolled out in Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, and the Northeast. The company will also be responsible for design, engineering, implementation and maintenance of the network in Jammu & Kashmir. The deployment of the network is expected to be completed by 2015. Sterlite will be required to maintain this network for seven years.
BSNL is setting up an alternative telecom network, including 60,000 km of OFC, for the defence forces. This will allow defence forces to migrate to the alternative network and vacate spectrum for wireless services. The network is being developed as a part of the agreement between BSNL and the defence forces in 2010. As per the agreement, the defence forces will vacate a total 150 MHz of spectrum for commercial use by telecom service providers after BSNL commissions the alternate telecoms network by July 2015.
