“BSNL intends to submit a tender request for the planning, engineering, supply, installation, testing, commissioning and annual maintenance of the 4G mobile network in the north, east, west and south areas of BSNL, and LSA of MTNL in Delhi and Mumbai, turnkey for 57,000 interim 4G sites along with associated items, “the telco said in an advisory on Friday.
The state-owned service provider also sought proposals through the Expression of Interest (EoI) for proof-of-concept (PoC) pre-registration of Indian companies that showed interest in participating in the bidding process.
“Only bidders who register through this EoI will be eligible to participate in the next BSNL 4G tender and therefore all potential bidders of the next BSNL 4G tender must necessarily submit the proposal through this EoI for their registration, regardless of the technical test of their equipment “, said in the document, seen by ETTelecom.
However, the development would discourage multinationals such as Finnish Nokia and Chinese ZTE, the two existing partners and pioneers in expanding the network of the fourth largest telecommunications company.
“The company must own or have unrestricted and irrevocable access and license to modify the source code and provide software support for all future versions,” he said, adding that the source code for the kernel and RAN must be deposited in the account of Deposit. , a requirement that is seen as a move to strengthen the security of public networks.
Furthermore, he said that if any company registered in India must meet all other eligibility conditions except technical test of equipment, then such companies can register to participate in PoC in accordance with the provisions of this EoI so that upon completion With the success of the PoC, your equipment meets the technical accreditation requirements to be eligible to participate in the next BSNL 4G tender.
The registration fee remains at Rs 500,000 and the telecommunications company has decided to go ahead with the electronic tendering process to seek the interest of the companies. However, no registration fee is required for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MIPYME).
However, the participation of national companies had become a contentious issue among the public sector telecommunications company, citing unproven technology and the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), which advocated the inclusion of local companies in line with the campaign. from Atmanirbhar Bharat or self-sufficient India. .
“The revised bidding document is in line with our demands and is a step to support the national industry,” said Arun Gupta, director general of the Council for the Promotion of Exports of Telecommunications Equipment and Services (Tepc), adding that the Local businesses can even participate through Proof of Concept.
The telco had to scrap the tender announcement, which was originally released on March 23, following allegations of restrictive conditions by local companies led by the Delhi-based group.
The new terms, according to Gupta, also ensured the applicability of the Center’s India Manufacturing Preference (PMI) policy, and the software’s source code would be owned by the Indian company.
The new notice seeking proposals has opened the doors for local businesses to participate and initiate pilot programs, even as the telco plans to opt for a large-scale next-generation commercial telecommunications network deployment, benefiting equipment manufacturers. locals such as Sterlite Technologies, Tejas Networks and Vihaan Networks.
Read also
BSNL 4G tender “href =” https://telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/dot-may-seek-pmo-help-over-bsnl-4g-tender/79950618 “>
DoT can seek help from PMO on BSNL 4G tender
In addition, the telecom company said that a systems integrator or original equipment manufacturer of both the 4G radio access network (RAN) and the core, for the required 4G network turnkey delivery, is eligible to submit the proposed according to the conditions.
“If the bidder is not both the 4G RAN and the core OEM, then the bidder must bid as a consortium with the 4G RAN OEM and / or the core OEM.” BSNL in your added notice.
The business details indicated that the core offered will be either Indian Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) or the license or copyright of the core software source code will be owned by the Indian company.
During the year, the ambitious roll-out of the 4G network also attracted large system integrators from the public and private sectors, such as Tech Mahindra, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) and ITI Limited.
Praising DoT and BSNL’s support for Atmanirbhar Bharat in the upcoming data network, Sanjay Nayak, CEO of Bengaluru-based Tejas Networks, said that the domestic industry possesses all the necessary capabilities and would endeavor to ensure the success of the national mission and public telecommunications. net.
The company, according to the notification document, must be registered and based in India, and incorporated under the Indian Companies Act (Amended) 2013, and the potential bidder must have average annual turnover 2,500 crore for the past three years.
The bidder or the consortium members and their respective parent company, according to the document, will not have an equity interest or operating association in the mobile segment with any other cellular operator except MTNL in India.
“The new tender is a great step forward to provide an opportunity for Indian companies to design, manufacture and implement in our telecommunications network. The technical specifications require the mobile core network to be developed by an Indian company, ”said Abhay Karandikar, director of IIT-Kanpur.
Karandikar, a member of the DoT-led expert committee, further said it was about time, and also expressed gratitude to DoT Secretary Anshu Prakash for the department’s efforts in line with Atmanirbhar Bharat.
.
