14 DAY TRIAL // Motorola announced an agreement with Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL), for the supply of a Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) cellular network for Delhi and the National Capital Region. As part of the agreement, which includes network deployment and maintenance services, MTNL will be expanding its GSM network by 2 million lines. As the first UMTS rollout in India, the UMTS network deployment will take place after the relevant regulatory authority of India has authorized spectrum allocation and appropriate licenses are obtained by the network operators.
MTNL has ordered UMTS equipment for validation and plans to place further orders subject to allocation of frequency spectrum. Once UMTS equipment is in place, value added services are planned to be deployed to enable MTNL to gain new revenue streams.
"Motorola has always been a front-runner in providing cutting edge technological solutions and services to India's telecommunications industry," said Firdose Vandrevala, head of Motorola India. "This collaboration with MTNL demonstrates Motorola's commitment to build the best-in-class wireless network that will be the backbone for superior wireless services in India."
Motorola's UMTS solutions will enable MTNL to deploy wireless platforms that will address issues such as achieving a low cost-per-subscriber ratio and maintaining consistent service quality, within high-growth markets. The network will be deployed in two phases, each covering approximately one million subscribers.
MTNL was set up in 1986 by the Government of India to upgrade the quality of telecom services, expand the telecom network, introduce new services and to raise revenue for telecom development needs of India's key metros - Delhi, the political capital and Mumbai, the business capital of India.