BSNL Taps UTStarcom For Wi-Fi Projects In India

Telecommunications infrastructure provider UTStarcom has won two Wi-Fi contracts from Indian state-owned operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). UTStarcom is assisting BSNL in providing data services to over 1000 remote village clusters in Northern and North Eastern India. Using a combination of satellite links and Wi-Fi hotspots mainly powered by solar, hundreds of thousands of residents will soon have modern broadband internet access. UTStarcom will provide Wi-Fi equipment for the project, including wireless access points, power over Ethernet (PoE) switches, wireless controllers and other related components and services.

Through the partnership with ITI, a government-owned manufacturer of telecommunications equipment in India, UTStarcom is also assisting BSNL in implementing a massive public hotspot network in rural India. Using their existing network of rural telephone exchanges, BSNL will install 25,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across wide areas of rural India. The network is designed to provide data services to the rural population in underserved regions and is another showcase project for implementing the ‘Digital India’ strategy.―Telecompaper