BSNL to invest Rs 550 cr; to launch WiMax in 25K villages by 2010

Kolkata, Nov 16 (UNI) State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) today said it will introduce WiMax, a technology that provides wireless data over long distance, in 25,000 villages pan-India and plans to infuse Rs 550 crore in the next three years.

''With over 200 million mobile phone subscribers across the country, mainly in the cities, the operators are now targeting the villages for wireless telephony growth to reach the critical mass there,'' BSNL Chief General Manager (Calcutta Telephones) S K Chakravarty said while interacting with the members of the Merchants' Chamber of Commerce (MCC).

He said BSNL was planning to invest Rs 550 crore in the next three years to cover 90 per cent of rural India.

About 40,000 schools in the villages would come under the system which would increase the telecom growth in the rural areas, Dr Chakravarty said adding that the rural areas were expected to drive the next wave of telecom growth in the country having a potential of adding at least 250 million new subscribers.

He said apart from network expansion in the villages, BSNL was giving priority to other matters, such as adequate revenue earning per subscriber and avilability of cheap and good mobile handsets.

''BSNL is also expecting to add 40-45,000 subscribers a month in the next few months by offering value added services to the consumers in terms of lower charges, rental rates and faster and better services,'' Dr Chakravarty said.

UNI