BSNL's multicrore mobile project up for grabs

BHUBANESWAR: State run basic telephony and cellular service provider, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is planning for a major expansion of its cellular service network. Informing this, BSNL finance director, SD Saxena added that the company is planning to add about 25 million fresh lines to its existing cellular network in the country.

"For that we have already floated tenders and got good responses from eight leading telecom equipment suppliers," he said. The companies who have submitted their bids to supply equipment include Nokia, Motorola, Alcatel, Nortel and Ericsson.

According to him, the company who will get the contract will have to supply additional 11 million GSM lines worth Rs 5,000 crore required for the expansion. The bids are currently under examination. Saxena also informed that besides this the company is also going to float tender for 14 million CDMA lines later this year. "The country has about 2.5 crore cellular phone subscribers and BSNL accounts for 50 lakh. After the expansion the subscriber base of BSNL is likely to go to three crore," he added.

Narrating other initiatives of the company, he informed that BSNL is going full blast to build an Information High Way under the National Internet Backbone Program. He added that the super Highway on the lines of the famed info Corridor of Malaysia would be completed in two years with an investment of around Rs 4,000 crore.

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