ISO certification trials and Wi-Fi connecticity in Goa: BSNL

Panaji, Feb 24 (UNI) The Goa Telecom is gearing up for securing the coveted International Standard Organisation (ISO) certification by upgrading its services and facilities on par with global standards at the earliest.

As part of this drive, it has embarked on an ambitious plan to provide this capital city with Wi-Fi connectivity besides strengthening the broadband network.

The company also plans to partner with different other service providers including Alcatel to share the transmission tower network instead of incurring additional expenditure on erecting more towers.

It had, however, scheduled to raise 140 new towers in the island state to ensure more than 80 per cent coverage of mobile phones by this year end.

Disclosing this to reporters here today, the Goa Telecom General Manager Mr A K Dasarkar said it will cost Rs eight crore to BSNL which would go ahead with the project if the City Corporation of Panaji gives its nod at the earliest to bear the cost.

The Wi-Fi connectivity is now available with the Raj Bhawan besides five star hotels. It would be made available in the 65 km radius of the capital to start with and later in the state.

At the sametime, the broadband network was being further strengthened to provide more subscribers with the connectivity by this year-end even as the existing subscribers would get 2 Mbps speed as against 1 Mbps now.

With increased speed, the broadband suscribers could have ''triple play'' facility to access the video, audio and data streams at one click. The facility was now only with 29 out of 176 telephone exchanges.

BSNL has also embarked on upgrading its WLL and GSM network to woo the 3-G protocol and e-vedio through evolutionary data optimser technology for value added services through mobile phones, he added.

UNI