rahul1117kumar
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Government-run telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) could be participating in the smart cities initiative as it has plans to submit proposals to build smart cities of Pune, Indore and Bhopal, according to a report by InfraCircle. The telco has plans to submit proposals in the first phase under the public-private-partnership route.
“A smart city is based on efficient and seamless Internet connectivity as well as Wi-Fi solutions. BSNL is well-positioned to tap this segment. We can lay optical fibre and provide connectivity,” the report quoted a senior BSNL official involved in the project.
The official also added that BSNL will be bidding through a consortium of private system integrators and technology providers especially international players with big presence in India. The telco has already in talks with such providers.
“Starting this month (November), we will start bidding for smart city projects. Private players can come on board as we go ahead. We have already missed the chance of bidding in many request for proposals called by the states,” said another BSNL official.
So far, the government has finalized 60 cities which will receive an overall investment of Rs 1.45 trillion be developed as smart cities. Each city will be allocated a sum of Rs 200 crore in the first year as assistance and Rs 100 crore over the next three years.
A recent development stated that BSNL will reduce its workforce by nearly 7% in 2017-18, from the employee-base of 2,09,996 in 2016-17. BSNL posted a Rs 8,234 crore loss in 2014-15, highest among all public-sector companies for that year, followed by Air India’s Rs 5,860 crore loss.
BSNL aims to expand its 3G and 4G footprint and has also been exploring tie-ups in order to grow and become relevant in the industry.
BSNL to participate in smart cities project: Report - ET Telecom
“A smart city is based on efficient and seamless Internet connectivity as well as Wi-Fi solutions. BSNL is well-positioned to tap this segment. We can lay optical fibre and provide connectivity,” the report quoted a senior BSNL official involved in the project.
The official also added that BSNL will be bidding through a consortium of private system integrators and technology providers especially international players with big presence in India. The telco has already in talks with such providers.
“Starting this month (November), we will start bidding for smart city projects. Private players can come on board as we go ahead. We have already missed the chance of bidding in many request for proposals called by the states,” said another BSNL official.
So far, the government has finalized 60 cities which will receive an overall investment of Rs 1.45 trillion be developed as smart cities. Each city will be allocated a sum of Rs 200 crore in the first year as assistance and Rs 100 crore over the next three years.
A recent development stated that BSNL will reduce its workforce by nearly 7% in 2017-18, from the employee-base of 2,09,996 in 2016-17. BSNL posted a Rs 8,234 crore loss in 2014-15, highest among all public-sector companies for that year, followed by Air India’s Rs 5,860 crore loss.
BSNL aims to expand its 3G and 4G footprint and has also been exploring tie-ups in order to grow and become relevant in the industry.
BSNL to participate in smart cities project: Report - ET Telecom
