BSNL begins work on PAN-India Optical Fibre Cable Network for Defence Forces

[Chanakya's_Chant]

Sterlite Technologies bags Rs 2,500 crore deal from BSNL​

Kalyan Parbat, ET Bureau | Jul 1, 2014, 01.35PM IST

Sterlite Technologies will be one of the prime suppliers of optic fibre cables for the crucial optic fibre backbone.​

Sterlite Technologies Ltd has just bagged nearly Rs 2500 crore of contracts from Bharat Sanchar Nigam to supply optic fibre cables for a mega alternate communications network that the state-run telco is building for India's armed forces.

Sterlite Technologies will be one of the prime suppliers of optic fibre cables for the crucial optic fibre backbone that will meet the strategic communication needs of the army and navy.

Sterlite Technologies has secured an Rs 1950 crore advance purchase order to supply optic fibre cables in Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Northeast. In addition, it has inked a Rs 500 crore deal to maintain the future optic fibre network in J&K for seven years.

"Sterlite Technologies will only supply optic fibre cables in the western states, Assam and Northeast, but will also handle end-to-end deployment, including design, engineering, implementation and maintenance of the OFC network besides cable supplies in J&K," Sterlite Technologies chief executive Anand Agarwal told ET.

The OFC supplies and end-to-end deployments will happen over the next 18 months.

BSNL officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

The defence telecom project is crucial since the armed forces will migrate all their communication needs to this alternate optic fibre network and free more bandwidth for commercial telephony.

The armed forces had vacated some 3G airwaves back in August 2010 after it was assured that the telecom department would keep its side of the deal in rolling out an alternate communications network. This had enabled DoT to auction 3G airwaves four years ago.
The mega communications network that BSNL will build for the armed forces has several key packages, including the optical fibre backbone, network management systems and a satellite network, and will cost in excess of Rs 13,000 crore. The 60,000-km optic fibre network will be at the heart of the defence ministry's future telecom backbone.

The project had been hanging fire for several months, and the telecom department (DoT) had recently urged BSNL to speed up roll out of optic fibre network on a war-footing. More so, since under an existing pact, airwaves in the 1700-to-2000 MHz band would be equally split between DoT and the armed forces.

The defence ministry has agreed to vacate a total 150 units of spectrum for commercial use by telecom service providers after BSNL commissions the alternate telecoms network by July 2015.

The award of this crucial OFC contract to Sterlite is seen as the first major breakthrough in BSNL's execution of the alternate telecom network, internally known as the 'NFS' or network for spectrum venture.

Source:- Sterlite Technologies bags Rs 2,500 crore deal from BSNL - The Times of India

 

[Gessler]

Secure comms are key to getting the upper hand in battle. Keeping informed is as important as keeping alive.

 

[axisofevil]

Hackable. I wonder what and how we wil counter hacking into such networks

 

[Omega007]

Hackable. I wonder what and how we wil counter hacking into such networks

Don't just pass your one-liner judgements and do care to explain.
It's gonna be a closed loop intranet and not internet,so in order to hack the system,one needs to be physically connected to the grid.

 

[axisofevil]

Don't just pass your one-liner judgements and do care to explain.
It's gonna be a closed loop intranet and not internet,so in order to hack the system,one needs to be physically connected to the grid.

So are you saying its impossible to hack into?

 

[Omega007]

No,what I'm saying is that it's not that easy as you were making it out to be.Nothing is fool-proof,but this new system is gonna be more resistant to hacking and jamming than that of the troposcatter communication system currently in use.

 

[axisofevil]

No,what I'm saying is that it's not that easy as you were making it out to be.Nothing is fool-proof,but this new system is gonna be more resistant to hacking and jamming than that of the troposcatter communication system currently in use.

I agree this will be better then what is available. It's not easy for a terrorists or 3rd rate power like Pakistan but we are dealing with China.

 

[Omega007]

I agree this will be better then what is available. It's not easy for a terrorists or 3rd rate power like Pakistan but we are dealing with China.

Every damn comm system is hackable.And all three Indian Armed Forces are now moving to the satcom with each service having their own dedicated communication satellites.Now as we know,satcom systems can be jammed or spoofed.That's why this fibre optics comm system is being deployed as a fall back secured system in case the satcoms are down.

And try to understand,it's being developed as a closed loop intranet where all the data will be passed through the cables and not through the air,so it's like a stand-alone system.Hence more difficult to jam or hack into.