BSNL Extends UTStarcom Contract For Multi-Play Deployment

Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) has extended its contract with UTStarcom to build the second phase of a countrywide multi-play network launched in December 2007. UTStarcom deployed 1.3 million broadband subscriber lines during the first phase of BSNL’s multi-play network deployment.

During this second phase, UTStarcom will deploy its iAN-8000 multi-service access node (MSAN) solution in 962 cities throughout India to enable the addition of 1.1 million new broadband subscriber lines. The network expansion will help BSNL accelerate its existing broadband connections on subscriber lines by more than 30 times the current speed.

“We worked closely with BSNL to successfully complete phase one of this multi-play broadband network and we are pleased that they have chosen to extend their relationship with us for phase two of the deployment,” said Vijay Yadav, vice president and managing director of UTStarcom’s South Asia operations. “We are confident that the continued expansion of this network with the phase two deployment will help BSNL retain and improve on their customer base and revenues.”

UTStarcom will continue to serve as the turnkey provider for phase two of the deployment, maintaining full responsibility for the network design and planning, deployment, service roll out, and maintenance of the network. With UTStarcom’s ADSL 2+ based broadband solutions, BSNL will be able to extend its offerings of broadband-based, triple-play services such as video-on-demand (VOD), video multicast, VPN services and high-speed Internet services to numerous broadband subscribers across the country while simultaneously gaining the benefits of network flexibility, scalability for innovation and the opportunity for rapid return on investment. This deployment also is expected to help India move closer to its goal of 20 million broadband subscribers by 2010.

The existing broadband connection on current networks uses the ‘Plain Old Telephone System’ (POTS) that delivers only 64 kilobits per second (kbps) of broadband speed. The new ADSL 2+ technology provided by UTStarcom will provide speeds beyond 8 mega bits per second (mbps), which is almost 30 times faster than the existing speed.