The Hindu Business Line : BSNL plans to invest Rs 2,000 cr for phase II broadband network

BSNL plans to invest Rs 2,000 crore on Phase II of its national Internet broadband network infrastructure. Another Rs 2,000 crore would be invested on upgradation of its copper wire line network with a view to making it compatible with modern technology-based applications.

Stating this during an interface with newspersons on Wednesday, Mr V.P. Sinha, Chairman and Managing Director, said that BSNL was quite upbeat on prospects pertaining to its Internet-based business.

Towards this end, MoUs have been entered into with Korea Telecom and Microsoft.

While Korea Telecom would prepare the roadmap for the rollout of BSNL's broadband services, Microsoft would be the regional language software provider.

Broadband would be the "bread and butter of the future", he said.

Earlier, addressing the National Convention of Telecom Officers of BSNL, Mr Sinha outlined BSNL's vision of emerging as the largest telecom player in South-East Asia.

Towards this end, the company proposes to augment its cellular network capacity to 15 million lines.

Its CDMA capacity, too, would be augmented to a great extent. "BSNL will be able to deliver whatever the customer wants."

Mr Sinha stressed on the imperatives for "BSNL's long-term survival", and came down heavily on "vested interests" who were determined to see that BSNL's initiatives did not succeed.

"My hands and feet are tied and I have been thrown into a pond, and then I am being asked to run an Olympic race. Every other day, I meet a different person who claims to be my boss," he said in an apparent reference to interference from people outside the BSNL fraternity.

According to him, the "review policy" of the Government was a hindrance to BSNL's growth plans as implementation of business plans is often held up on the pretext of reviews.

He was of the view that the Central Government, and not BSNL, should bear the burden of pension of those former employees of the Department of Telecom - of which BSNL was a part before it was corporatised - who were either retired or had left the organisation.

Mr S.K. Jain, Director of HRD, said that the Presidential order pertaining to fixation of pay scales of BSNL's Group `B' officers has just been received and a notification in this regard would be issued within the next few days.

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