BSNL awards $64 Million contract to Chinese vendor ZTE
By siliconindia   |   Wednesday, 08 September 2010, 23:50 IST   |    3 Comments
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Kolkata: Chinese vendor ZTE was awarded the $64 million WiMax supply contract from Indian state-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). ZTE will supply a range of WiMax systems to boost BSNL's rollout over the next six months. This is the second major deal in a few days' time happening between Indian firms and Chinese vendors after Huawei won a Tata Teleservices contract to supply 3G network equipment in India. This is seen as an indication of a different mindset by the Indian government which initially opposed any foreign telecom equipment vendors, especially the Chinese. Earlier both Huawei and ZTE had complained that numerous contracts allotted to them by telecom firms had not been approved and the delay caused them a significant loss of revenue. The devices will be a mix of WiMax base-stations, switches and specialized WiMax terminals/handhelds. However, it remains unclear whether ZTE will supply the equipment directly to BSNL or instead to BSNL?s designated WiMax franchisees. "We've entered into a pact with BSNL to supply diverse WiMax systems valued at `300 crore. The gear will be a mix of WiMax base-stations, switches and specialized WiMax terminals/handhelds. A portion of the equipment will be manufactured at ZTE India's Manesar plant," said DK Ghosh, ZTE India Chairman & Managing Director.

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