India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has told state-run company Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) not to use Chinese equipment for its network infrastructure across the country. The DoT urged BSNL to rework its INR 90 billion tender immediately, The Times of India reports, citing unnamed sources. BSNL is currently expanding into the 4G business as part of its rehabilitation plan.
Official sources said the attack on the Indian Army in Ladakh will strengthen the government’s decision not to allow Chinese companies’ expansion into India’s strategic sectors because of fears that PLA has a decisive stake in some of these companies.
BSNL to invest INR 110 billion in deployment of 50,000 sites
BSNL recently started its 4G rollout on the local market. The operator launched a tender and announced plans to invest INR 110 billion (approximately USD 1.44 billion) in the deployment of 50,000 sites in the north, east, west and south zones of the country. The tender also includes an INR 86.9 billion (USD 1.14 billion) contract for 7,000 sites in the metropolitan cities of Delhi and Mumbai, managed by sister company MTNL.
