BSNL to add 10 million connections this year

New Delhi, Apr 10: Going in an expansion mode, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will provide 10 million connections in the current financial year of which 90 per cent will be on wireless technology, Chairman and Managing Director Anil Kumar Sinha said here today.

''Out of the the 10 million connections, one million will be rural areas which is in line with our commitment to provide services in villages,'' Mr Sinha said at a press briefing here.

Mr Sinha said the company intended to add 1.4 million internet subscribers, in which at least 0.6 million will be on broadband connections.

Further the company is going to use its franchise network, 20 lakh PCO network, post offices, direct selling agents and customer service centres as sales and distribution channels to make the services fully accessible to the customers.

The expansion is part of BSNL's plan to provide 60 million connections across the country within the next four years. This would recquire errecting 40,000 new tower across the country BSNL would pump in about Rs 1000 crore for its factories in Kolkata, Mumbai and Jabalpur during the year for production of new equipments and materials. The annual turnover from the factories was expected to double from the present Rs 300 crore to around Rs 600 crore within the next year.

A number of new items like CDMA handset, IFWT and reliable backup power unit operated by electrical or solar power for IFWT units in rural areas were also in the pipeline.

UNI