BSNL floats tender for defence network

State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has floated a tender for building an exclusive optical fibre cable network for the armed forces in lieu of their vacating radio waves. The network would be auctioned to mobile services’ operators for offering third-generation (3G) services. The tender, which was in the works for a long time, will set in motion the process of vacating spectrum by the defence forces.

Citing security reasons, the defence ministry had been reluctant to release the spectrum in its possession unless a dedicated optical fibre alternative network was laid.

The armed forces, which occupy a bulk of the 3G airwaves, will move their communication requirements to the new network, thus freeing airwaves for commercial telephony. In May last year, the Department of Telecommunications had signed an MoU with the defence ministry to set up this dedicated network. Later, the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure also cleared this Rs 10,000-crore project.

The tender is for roll out of the Optical Fibre Network, to be owned and operated by the Defence Services under the Project Implementation Core Group of the defence ministry, said a BSNL official.

The telecom major was made the coordinator for the entire project by the empowered Group of Ministers. The tender was for procurement, supply, trenching, laying, installation, testing and maintenance of OFCs and accessories for construction of exclusive optical NLD Backbone and Optical Access routes on turnkey basis for defence network, said the official.

A highly resilient exclusive OFC-based nationwide optical backbone for 414 Defence sites and optical gigabit access networks at 219 army sites will be rolled as part of this project, official said.

The implementation of this project will be undertaken jointly by BSNL and PICG, whereby all essential project monitoring, installation, testing and acceptance tasks will be carried out by joint teams. After successful implementation of this project, all the network assets created for this project will be handed over by BSNL to the PICG for subsequent operations and maintenance. The Empowered GoM had made BSNL Chairman Kuldeep Goyal the chief of this project.