Networking company Gemini Communication (GCL) has secured an order from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) for supply, implementation and maintenance of Rural Mobile WIMAX in the telecom circles of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Tamil Nadu and Orissa. The order is worth Rs 67 crore in the first phase. This is BSNL’s first procurement of mobile WIMAX systems, and the company will now take the lead in deploying mobile WiMAX network on a large scale in India.
BSNL’s rural WiMAX project is scheduled to be implemented in 1,000 blocks across the length and breadth of the country. BSNL will provide connectivity for 25,000 villages through Common Service Centres across the country, thus bridging the digital divide.
BSNL has two objectives in this mobile WiMAX roll out, firstly to connect rural India to government services online and secondly, to provide high-speed commercial broadband services.