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ZTE gets Indian WiMax contract
07 September 2010
ZTE is to supply equipment for Indian government-owned BSNL’s planned WiMax network
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ZTE
India
WiMax
BSNL
Huawei
China
Tata Teleservices
China’s ZTE has won a $64 million WiMax supply contract from Indian state-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited. The Chinese equipment maker will supply a range of WiMax systems to boost BSNL’s rollout over the next six months.
The deal comes only days after Huawei won a Tata Teleservices contract to supply 3G network equipment in India — another sign that the Indian government’s opposition to Chinese suppliers has been overcome.
The devices will be a mix of WiMax base-stations, switches and specialised WiMax terminals/handhelds. However, it remains unclear whether ZTE will supply the equipment directly to BSNL or instead to BSNL’s designated WiMax franchisees.
Earlier, BSNL had issued letters of intent to four companies — Teracom, Take Solutions, Adishwar India and Ampoules — to launch WiMax-based broadband services as franchisees. They had been asked to launch the services based on a revenue-sharing model.
BSNL cancelled an initial WiMax franchisee tender in June 2010. It released a new tender reinviting fresh bid for the franchise-led rollout in 16 regions. GTB