Motorola bags $90 mn BSNL order for supply of GSM network equipment

Motorola has received a $90 million (Rs 360 crore) contract to supply GSM network equipment to state-owned telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL).

The contract will enable BSNL expand its network capacity to support an additional 2.3 million subscribers on its GSM network in the southern region. Under the terms of the contract, Motorola will ship GSM network equipment and provide a network services support - both software and hardware – to BSNL. The company has already begun supplying of the equipment, Motorola said in a statement today.

"We are delighted to announce that BSNL has chosen Motorola to address its critical 2G network expansion requirement. This year marks 20 years of Motorola's commitment to the Indian market and we are proud to be a part of the telecom growth story. We will endeavour to grow our market engagements and deliver maximum value to our customers, be it serving their current needs or planning for future growth," Motorola India country lead for Home and Networks Mobility Subhendu Mohanty said.

BSNL's existing network in its southern region already has 2G equipment supplied by Motorola. This expansion will significantly grow the network by adding from Motorola's best-of-breed second generation GSM solutions.

BSNL was planning to add 33.5 million mobile lines in the year ending March 2009. In April, it said it had a capacity of 36 million GSM lines, most of which had been used up, and 5.5 million CDMA lines, of which it had 1 million free. As on March 31, 2008, the company had a total of 40.8 million subscribers in the country.

Source: Business Standard