JULY 13, 2009 -- Sterlite Technologies Ltd. (search Lightwave for Sterlite), a global supplier of transmission technologies, has won a contract from telecom service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL), valued at Rs 372 Crores (US$77 million), for enabling an FTTH network based on GPON technology. Sterlite was awarded a major share of the total outlay of project, amongst competition from global players, and says it has "streamlined its efforts" to ensure that the contract is executed within FY10.
BSNL plans to implement similar FTTH networks at 25 cities across India by 2012, which would impact 2 million subscribers. This would provide subscribers access to greater bandwidth and speeds (in excess of 100 Mbps) as well as applications ranging from business services such as high-definition video conferencing to entertainment applications such as high-speed gaming.
The current phase of the FTTH network will be capable of providing high-speed Internet, IPTV, VoIP, and other services to about 500,000 subscribers. BSNL will be the first telco in the country to deploy a commercial-scale FTTH network.
At the recent OFC/NFOEC 2009 in San Diego, CA, Kuldeep Goyal, chairman and managing director of BSNL, indicated that up to 5% of all Indian households would have FTTH by 2011 and IPTV would be one of the key drivers for uptake of FTTH.
Anand Agarwal, chief executive officer and director, Sterlite, says, "India is at the crossroads in telecommunication technology, with networks being rolled out for 3G, WiMAX, NGN (next-generation networks), and FTTH. We believe FTTH will offer subscribers limitless possibilities by serving the requirements of bandwidth-hungry applications and this would revolutionize the way subscribers work, live, and play. We commend BSNL's relentless efforts in putting India on the telecom map of the world and we are honored to be chosen as a partner for this project."
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