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BSNL-Microsoft-Korea Tele in pact
By siliconindia
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Thursday, 18 March 2004, 20:30 IST
KOLKATA: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is roping in Microsoft Corp and Korea Telecom as strategic partners in its Rs 2,000-crore national broadband venture. BSNL will shortly ink separate MoUs with Microsoft and Korea Telecom, said BSNLs chairman-cum-managing director, V.P. Sinha on Wednesday. Sinha was speaking at a national telecom convention hosted by the all-India BSNL Executives Association in Kolkata.
While Korea Telecom will initially conduct a preliminary assessment of India s broadband market potential, Microsoft will come in as a regional language broadband applications software provider, Sinha said.
BSNLs broadband rollout is linked to DoTs National Internet Backbone Phase II project. In parallel, BSNL will pump in an additional Rs 2,000 crore to upgrade its copper-based wireline infrastructure to support high-speed broadband applications nationally, Sinha said.For instance, BSNLs 3.5 crore wireline connections, which carry copper into homes and office premises, will be leveraged to provide DSL broadband applications.
Though BSNLs main focus is shifting from wireline to wireless business, transformation of its basic telecom infrastructure for supporting broadband is expected to open up new revenue streams for BSNLs traditional wireline business, Sinha said.
