Tuesday, August 30, 2011: At a time when the Department of Telecom (DoT) plans to roll out a scheme to support operators for setting up broadband infrastructure, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has proposed a common wireless network for rural parts of the country. The infrastructure would be set up from the Universal Services Obligation (USO) funds.
According to a Business Line report, BSNL opines that a single network should be established to connect the rural parts of the country, rather than setting up parallel network by multiple operators. The state-owned telco suggests that the common network should be set up with USO funds. However, the DoT has plans to select two operators in each circle through a bidding process.
According to the report, BSNL has told the Department that it would be a wastage of national resources to set up a parallel infrastructure by two operators. If only one operator is allowed to set up the network in rural parts of the country, additional expenditure can be avoided. BSNL also suggested that other operators can also use the same network for providing services in the rural areas through the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) model.
BSNL's suggestion is in line with the National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) project. NOFN has been undertaken by the Government of India (GoI) to spread the broadband connectivity across India.
Kapil Sibal, minister for communications and information technology, said, “NOFN will not be used by private operators to promote their services. However, they can use the network for the benefit of the society.”
According to a Business Line report, BSNL opines that a single network should be established to connect the rural parts of the country, rather than setting up parallel network by multiple operators. The state-owned telco suggests that the common network should be set up with USO funds. However, the DoT has plans to select two operators in each circle through a bidding process.
According to the report, BSNL has told the Department that it would be a wastage of national resources to set up a parallel infrastructure by two operators. If only one operator is allowed to set up the network in rural parts of the country, additional expenditure can be avoided. BSNL also suggested that other operators can also use the same network for providing services in the rural areas through the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) model.
BSNL's suggestion is in line with the National Optic Fibre Network (NOFN) project. NOFN has been undertaken by the Government of India (GoI) to spread the broadband connectivity across India.
Kapil Sibal, minister for communications and information technology, said, “NOFN will not be used by private operators to promote their services. However, they can use the network for the benefit of the society.”
