West Coast Optilinks: Building a robust fibre connectivity network

West Coast Optilinks (WCO) is among the leading manufacturers of optical fibre cables (OFCs) in India. In a conversation with tele.net, Pramod Srivastava, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), WCO, shared insights into the organisation’s evolving role in India’s digital journey and its expansion strategy…

 

How has the OFC market in India evolved? What are the key trends and challenges?

There has been an increase in OFC demand, primarily led by government spending on BharatNet and railway projects. Other key drivers of fibre deployment include the fiberisation of telecom towers, fibre-to-the-x network expansion, and demand from data centres and cloud providers. However, as demand remains much lower than the capacity available in India, recent tenders have seen significant pressure on prices. At the same time, the prices of key raw materials are increasing, further impacting the OFC industry, which is already under tremendous pressure due to prolonged subdued demand over the past several quarters.

How is WCO supporting India’s digital infrastructure initiatives? What has been the experience in projects like BharatNet?

With over 27 years in the industry, WCO has consistently aligned its capabilities with national priorities like BharatNet and Digital India. We have actively contributed to BharatNet projects as a key OFC original equipment manufacturer, successfully delivering solutions for this mega project.

We have demonstrated our expertise by supplying OFC for this project, from the toughest Himalayan terrain to the coastal belts of India. This has given us the confidence to support the unique requirements of large-scale, nationwide deployments, even in rural settings.

Our products have also been deployed in Kavach projects, metros, power utilities, national highways, oil and gas, defence communication, etc. Our fibre solutions have been trusted in mission-critical deployments where uptime and longevity are non-negotiable. Success in these projects is a testament to our manufacturing capabilities and unwavering commitment to the Digital India programme.

We customise products based on environmental conditions and application needs, ensuring optimal performance. We also ensure full traceability and testing through National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories-accredited labs, which has helped build confidence with government agencies and large telecom operators.

What are WCO’s manufacturing expansion plans? What is your growth strategy for international markets?

We recently inaugurated our state-of-the-art optical fibre manufacturing plant in Rangareddy, Telangana, doubling our OFC capacity. We are currently focusing on maximising the utilisation of this expanded capacity and making the required expansion plans as we reach critical metrics.

On the international front, we are increasingly focusing on expanding into various emerging markets where digital infrastructure development is poised for rapid acceleration. Our strategy includes building strong local partnerships, offering technical and logistics support, and tailoring solutions for local environmental and regulatory needs. We are also working toward strengthening our export certification portfolio to seamlessly meet multi-country specs.

With this two-pronged approach – capacity enhancement with backward integration and global market penetration – we have become a preferred optical fibre infrastructure partner across industries.

How do you assess the future demand for OFC in India? How is WCO prepared to capitalise on this demand?

The demand for OFC in India has remained flat over the past few years. However, with the BharatNet initiative under way, there could be an increase in demand in the short to medium term. OFC deployment in India has a long way to go, as per capita fibre in the country is much lower compared to other developed countries.

The next big driver will undoubtedly be the widespread roll-out of 5G and later 6G technology. To achieve the full potential of 5G, with its promise of high speed and low latency, a massive fiberisation of towers is essential. India currently has a relatively low level of about 40 per cent in terms of tower fiberisation, which presents a significant opportunity for growth. Emerging sectors like smart cities, internet of things and artificial intelligence-driven services are also poised to create a robust demand for advanced fibre optic solutions.

Our ability to provide a complete portfolio of OFC products, from the core network to the last mile, positions us as a one-stop shop for customers for their OFC requirements. We are also developing specialised cables that can cater to the evolving needs of the market, such as solutions for 5G and data centre connectivity.

Additionally, we have strengthened our customer support, logistics responsiveness and digital interfaces to provide an end-to-end, frictionless experience for partners. Our expansion roadmap, expertise and technology investments are all aligned to play a leading role in India’s digital infrastructure growth story over the next decade.