BSNL to provide 2 mn hi-speed broadband connections

CHENNAI: As part of its 'ambitious plans,' public sector service provider BSNL will provide 2 million hi-speed broadband connections to various rural parts of the country at a cost of around Rs 250 crore, a top official of the company said on Monday.
    
Kuldeep Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director, after inaugurating personalised ring back tones or caller tunes services here said that this effort will help about 23,000 exchanges in various villages getting broadband connections.
   
"The connections will be given by February as works are on in this regard," Goyal said.
    
Further, the BSNL would also provide 2 million Wi-Max internet connections in rural areas, "with special focus on 1000 blocks in the country where no other service provider is present," he said.
    
The Wireless Local Loop connections will also be nearly doubled, with 3 million connections being added to the existing 3.5 million in the country.
    
"Presently,these will be given on fixed lines and we will start operations on complete mobility segment after the WLL Policy is announced next month," Goyal said.
    
The 'happening' mobile phone connection segment was also getting a fillip with orders for 10 million lines placed with Ericsson, while another 9 million with Nokia was under consideration.
    
The company was also holding the market share when it came to landline telephones, with a market share of 40 percent, meaning 1.1 million lines out of the existing 2.5 million were that of BSNL, he added.