MTNL plans GSM, CDMA upgrade in Mumbai by '06 end

The Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) plans to upgrade both its code division multiple access (CDMA) and the global system for mobile communication (GSM) networks in Mumbai.

The upgrade, which is expected to be completed by the year end, will help the public sector entity to offer an additional 1.5 lakh GSM connections and 2.5 lakh CDMA lines in the metro.

"We will upgrade both our GSM and CDMA networks to cater to the increasing demand for connections in Mumbai. The process is in full swing and we expect the CDMA upgrade to be completed in a couple of months. The work on GSM network will be completed by the year end," said A K Jain, general manager (Marketing), MTNL.

He, however, did not divulge investment earmarked for the expansion.

The CDMA network would be upgraded to 1x standards, resulting in adding up 2.5 lakh connections to the existing 1.5 lakh lines supported by the network. The upgrade is in the final stages of completion with network testing opeartions being carried, he said.

MTNL offers CDMA-based mobile and fixed wireless services under its brand, Garuda.

On the GSM front, the network would be upgraded to support 3G services. This will add another 1.5 lakh connections, taking the total number of CDMA lines to 10 lakh in the metro by the year end.

The company is also planning to float a tender for 4-million GSM lines, of which 25 per cent will be reserved for 3G services.

Of the 4 million, one million each was to be launched in both the Delhi and Mumbai by 2006, while it was planning to add 40 more base transceiver stations (BTS) in Delhi by March 2006. MTNL already has around 430 BTS in Delhi.

The company was also planning to launch a 'Triband' service, that can offer all the three broadband services (voice, data and video) by March 2006.