TCS-led consortium secures BSNL 4G deployment order worth Rs 15,000 crore

A consortium led by IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has received an advance purchase order worth Rs 15,000 crore from state-owned telecom service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) in a widely speculated 4G network deployment deal.

The consortium, which includes Tejas Networks Ltd, Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) and the central government’s public sector undertaking ITI Ltd (earlier known as Indian Telephone Industries Limited), has won the bid for BSNL’s pan-India 4G project. According to sources, around 75 per cent of the deal value will go to TCS.

The country’s largest IT firm would be the first domestic company to provide these solutions on a large scale. Earlier, Texas-based Mavenir was considered to be the main contender to provide 4G core technology to BSNL.

“The consortium led by Tata Consultancy Services Limited has received an advance purchase order valued over Rs 15,000 crore from BSNL, a 100 per cent government of India-owned public sector undertaking, for the deployment of a 4G network across India,” TCS said in an exchange filing early Monday morning.

As part of the deal, the consortium is expected to develop 4G core and Radio Access Network (RAN) technology for BSNL’s telecom services. The Group of Ministers approved the proposal to deploy 100,000 BSNL 4G network sites earlier this month.

“Tejas Networks Ltd. is a part of the TCS-led consortium that successfully bid for the BSNL pan-India 4G project. BSNL has issued advance purchase order (APO) to TCS as well as ITI for this project. As a part of the consortium, Tejas Networks will supply and service the Radio Access Networks (RAN) equipment,” says a filing by Tejas Networks.