BSNL plans broadband on FTH platform

State-run BSNL has stepped up efforts to grab a bigger share of rising broadband demand in the country with the PSU planning to provide fibre-to-home based broadband services for offering next generation services to its subscribers.

BSNL started broadband services in January 2005 with the 'ADSL' systems. We are now planning to offer broadband service on fibre also by using the FTTH systems, a senior BSNL official said adding the PSU on Monday issued a tender to procure FTTH equipment for providing the next generation broadband services to its customers.

There are more than 4.5 lakh route kms of optical fibre laid by BSNL/MTNL and more than 1 lakh route kms laid by private operators.

The fibre optics technology can provide unlimited bandwidth potential and is steadily replacing copper network especially in intra-city backbone networks.

This is being deployed in commercial buildings and complexes in big cities with high-density potential broadband users.

TRAI has identified five different access paths to cover the last mile - local loop digital subscriber line, cable, satellite, terrestrial wireless, fibre-to-home, hybrid fibre coaxial, fibre-to-the-curb and FTTH make use of fibre cabling into last mile.

The fibre based models are future proof as they can provide huge bandwidth in the last mile and also a IP and converged network that can deliver high quality voice-video and data, he said.

DoT had set a target of 3 million broadband subscribers by December 2005. The total number of broadband Internet subscribers in the country as on October 31, 2005 was 7.1 lakhs. BSNL and MTNL have contributed 3.1 lakh subscribers.