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BSNL all set to launch wi-max service

LUDHIANA: Moving a step further in providing wireless broadband services to customers, BSNL is ready to launch wi-max service in the city. Of the
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total 54 towers, it has installed 37 here and users will be able to get the facility in the first week of January.

An official of the department said, “Till now under Wifi system, a subscriber gets a limited speed that is restricted only to one room, but with this, speed will be faster. The max service will work on the same principles as that of mobile phones and the department will be installing range towers to serve the purpose.”

He added, “With this system, the problem of traffic load will come to an end. Also, it will help the department in allotting more and more broadband connections which was not possible earlier in case of landline connected broadband service.”

Notably in Ludhiana district, there are 30,000 broadband users. Officials hold that the technology would not only contribute towards good speed, but also give subscribers an option to use it anywhere, as all these towers would be installed at a distance of 15 kilometre.

Talking to TOI, CS Bhanot, BSNL general manager, Ludhiana, said the department planed to introduce this service in the district in the first week of January as out of 54 base transmitting system, 37 transmitting towers had already been installed and work on others was under way. Bhanot added, “On taking the connection, the subscriber will be issued a number and while using the broadband, that number will be used as password and the charges will depend on the usage.”

BSNL launches 3G telephony in Itanagar

ITANAGAR: BSNL on Saturday launched its 3G mobile telephony here today enabling the people to avail video, voice and web access at a great speed.


Launching the service R Sanyal, Chief General Manager of BSNL NE-II telecom circle, told reporters that the 3G service would be extended to some other district towns including Pasighat within a few months.

Replying to a question, Sanyal expressed hope that prepaid mobile service would not be withdrawn from north eastern states as was done in Jammu and Kashmir to contain its misuse by militants there.

He said BSNL was imposing fine on different telecom companies for accepting wrongly filled forms and fake documents from customers.

BSNL launches video calls at 30p/min

STATE-OWNED BSNL has got bids from five companies—Adishwar India, Ampoules, Teracom Limited, E-mall Infotech and Tech solutions Ltd—to
set up and run its WiMAX business in 16 circles on a revenue share franchisee basis.

BSNL had cancelled the earlier tender in June 2009 after its investigations revealed that five of the six shortlisted companies were acting as ‘fronts’ for certain individuals. As first reported by ET, BSNL had then sought fresh bids or franchisees across the country to roll out the WiMAX platform, the technology that allows users the wireless access to high-speed internet and other data applications over a large area. BSNL expects WiMAX to generate multi-billion dollar revenues over the next 10 years.

A BSNL executive confirmed that bids or expression of interest (EoI) for launching WiMAX services were received on Thursday from five companies. The 16 circles are Haryana, Uttar Pradesh East, Uttar Pradesh West, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Assam, North East, Kolkata, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, J&K, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu. Chennai and West Bengal. “The project will be on a revenue sharing basis and successful bidders must also do the marketing and provide after sale support,” the BSNL executive said.

BSNL will now analyse the bids and see if the companies meet all the parameters. Companies offering the highest revenue to BSNL will be awarded the contract, he added. The tender conditions specify that only companies with a turnover of over Rs 100 crore for two consecutive years would be allowed to bid.

The WiMAX project was slated to be underway earlier this year, but was delayed as a string of ‘shell’ companies that existed only on paper had made it to BSNL shortlist. The telco subsequently cancelled the tender after its own investigations revealed that five of the six shortlisted companies—WiExpert Communications, SV Telecom Systems, Digitelco Communications, Spectrus Communications and Technotial Infoways—were acting as ‘fronts’ as they shared the same corporate details, notaries, auditors and dates of incorporation, and even their last annual general body meeting was shown to be held on the same day.

BSNL also came under pressure from its labour unions to scrap the earlier tender following reports of widescale corruption in the methodologies adopted to shortlist successful bidders. In the last election campaign, opposition BJP had alleged that five of the six shortlisted companies were promoted by telecom minister A Raja’s confidant Sanjay Kapoor and had sought a CBI probe into the issue.

BSNL already has a tie-up with US-headquartered Soma Networks, which runs WiMax services for the PSU in the circles of Gujarat, Maharashtra, including Goa, and Andhra Pradesh.