Indian telecoms vendor HFCL has signed a deal worth INR 11.2 billion ($135 million) with state operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to upgrade its optical transport network (OTN) across India.
The vendor noted that the deal covers design, planning of architecture, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning and system integration of OTN equipment. The upgrade project will cover over 300 large network nodes and 2,000 amplifier sites across the country, HFCL said.
The deal also includes a comprehensive eight-year annual maintenance contract worth INR 1.7 billion.
HFCL’s managing director, Mahendra Nahata, said that the resulting upgrade will boost BSNL’s data capacity to 12 Tbps, which the telco needs to meet expected demand over the next ten years.
“Our comprehensive network upgrade will not only address the heightened demands of enterprise and FTTH/Broadband services but strategically positions BSNL for the seamless launch of 4G services and the anticipation of 5G services,” Nahata said.
HFCL also said it will also partner with Finnish vendor Nokia to deploy the OTN gear over the next 18 months.
BSNL previously said it was planning to launch its 4G service in December 2023 on a limited scale and then roll it out across the country by June 2024.
The telco’s rollout plans had been announced by BSNL chairman and managing director P. K. Purwar at the India Mobile Congress 2023.
Purwar also said that the company plans to upgrade its 4G service to 5G after June 2024. As of today, local carriers Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm are the sole operators in India offering 5G services.
“Our target is to complete the 4G rollout by June 2024. After June, we will be moving to 5G services,” Purwar added.
IT company TCS and government-owned ITI have secured orders from BSNL for the deployment of the telco’s 4G network infrastructure. According to previous reports, the Indian government had said that only Indian telecoms vendors will be allowed to supply equipment for state-run telcos BSNL and MTNL’s 4G and 5G projects, as part of the country’s efforts to reduce dependence on international providers.
U.S. company CommScope recently said it is currently in talks with BSNL to potentially secure telecoms contracts with the company, according to Indian press reports.
CommScope is currently supplying cables, microwave antennas, filters and combiners and switches to Indian telcos Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Infocomm.
