Sterlite to enhance India's telecom networks

BANGALORE, INDIA: Sterlite Technologies Ltd, a leading global provider of optical fibers, telecom cables and power transmission conductors, has announced two major contract wins with Indian telecoms giant BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.).

The contracts, which are for fiber optic cable and copper telecoms cable, respectively, are worth a total of Rs. 107 crores (US$26.7 million) to Sterlite. As per customer requirements, the deliveries are scheduled between July and December 2008.

The first contract is for Sterlite's RIBBON-LITE 96F ribbon fiber optic cables, which BSNL will install in about 900 city sites across the country in the rapidly growing FTTx (fiber-to-the-"x") applications sector. The second contract is for a range of 10- to 2000-pair copper telecoms cables. These cables will also be installed at sites across India, to support the nation's growing demand for ADSL broadband as well as basic telephony in rural and urban areas.

Sterlite is currently in the process of fulfilling a third contract it recently received from India's Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL). This deal is for the installation of an OSS/BSS (Operation/Business Support Systems) for the metro Ethernet network Sterlite is installing for 200,000 broadband subscribers in Mumbai, India. The project is due to be completed during the financial year 2008-9.

K.S. Rao, COO, Sterlite Technologies' Telecom business, commented: "These latest contract wins are significant endorsements of BSNL & MTNL's confidence in Sterlite's technical capabilities & product reliability. The booming FTTx and broadband ADSL technology areas are highly competitive and Sterlite's telecom equipment, integration & managed services businesses are geared towards the available opportunities. By these latest contracts and our previous wins at both national and international levels, Sterlite is clearly demonstrating that we are a key enabler of broadband networks both in India and worldwide."

Keeping in line with the sustained demand from the global telecom industry, Sterlite recently announced plans to triple its fiber optic cable manufacturing  capacity of 6 million-fkm, from its current capacity of 2 million-fkm. This expansion is in conjunction with Sterlite's optical fiber manufacturing expansion from 6-12 million-fkm. All of the Sterlite Fiber Optic products are manufactured at ISO 9001, TL 9000 and OHSAS 18001 certified facilities.