BSNL selects UTStarcom's NetRing for network expansion

OCTOBER 15, 2007 -- UTStarcom Inc. (search for UTStarcom), today announced a contract to supply its Metro Ethernet Forum-certified NetRing 10000i STM-64 optical transport equipment to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (search for BSNL), the incumbent and largest telecommunications operator in India with services in the fixed-line, cellular mobile, long-distance, and data markets.

"BSNL plans to roll out more than six million DSL lines over the next several years, while increasing their wireless subscriber base by approximately 25 million people," reports Vijay Yadav, managing director of South Asia operations at UTStarcom. "This staggering growth is indicative of the rapidly expanding India market, one of the fastest-growing telecommunications markets globally and a key market for UTStarcom," he says. "Our high-capacity, versatile NetRing solution will enable BSNL to cost effectively augment their nationwide backbone to efficiently support the significant growth of the broadband and wireless subscriber base in India."

This contract represents the third deployment of UTStarcom equipment in BSNL's nationwide ADSL 2+ network, as the operator has already deployed UTStarcom's iAN-8000 and Total Control 1000 multiservice access products.

Visit Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL)
Visit UTStarcom Inc.