Govt allows BSNL to buy 10 mn mobile lines

NEW DELHI, INDIA:  The government of India has allowed state-run telecoms firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to buy equipment for 10 million mobile lines immediately.

This permission has been given in view of the fact that 20 million lines are in the process of installation, the  Ministry of Communications & Information Technology said in a statement on Tuesday.

BSNL, India's fourth-largest mobile operator, had in 2008 called for bids to supply equipments for 93 million lines in what was termed as the world's biggest telecoms equipment contract. But the tender has been snarled ever since.

Sweden's Ericsson and Chinese network-gear maker Huawei were short-listed on technical grounds for supplying part of the 93-million-line tender.

It was not immediately clear whether the latest approval forms part of the previous tender.