ITI Ltd, a PSU telecom and defence equipment manufacturer, has signed a ₹7,796-crore contract for Phase IV of the Army Static Switched Communication Network (ASCON) project.

The contract was signed by Rakesh Mohan Agarwal, CMD, ITI, and Joint Secretary and Acquisition Manager - Land Systems, Ministry of Defence, in New Delhi on Thursday.

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ASCON is the army’s telecom network spread across different terrains in the northern, north-eastern and western regions. The project covers an IP MPLS-based communication network with microwave radio, satellite and optical fibre network as media. It will handle communication across the country and subsequent maintenance for the next 10 years.

The project also includes the installation, commissioning and maintenance of telecom equipment like IP/MPLS Routers, NMS, mobile nodes, test equipment and civil works for providing the complete infrastructure at various sites and rollout optical fibre network of about 11,000 km.

Agarwal said: “Having successfully implemented and maintained the first-three phases of ASCON project for the last three decades, we have an edge in implementing this prestigious project. Having ASCON IV project at this juncture certainly gives a big boost to the Indian Army and ITI is very much excited to roll out this network.”

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The scope of the project also includes a warranty period of two years and maintenance support of the network for another eight years after the warranty.

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