Sterlite Technologies to Implement End-to-end Rollout of Optical Fiber Network for Defense Services

PUNE, India, July 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Sterlite Technologies Ltd. [BSE: 532374, NSE: STRTECH], a leading global provider of transmission solutions for the telecom and power industries, today announced that it has secured an advance purchase order from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) for end-to-end deployment including design, engineering, implementation and maintenance of a part of the Network for Spectrum (NFS) project - Optical Fiber Cable (OFC) Network in the state of Jammu & Kashmir of the NTP region.

Sterlite is also a key partner in creating OFC networks in other regions of the country as a part of NFS rollout, countrywide. This project in Jammu & Kashmir region including optical fiber cable supplies to other parts of the country is expected to add around Rs. 1950 crores to Sterlite's order book. This order needs to be executed by 2016. Additionally, Sterlite is also contracted to maintain the Jammu & Kashmir network for an additional period of 7 years at a value of about Rs. 500 crores.

The government of India decided to release 150 Mhz of spectrum held by the defense sector in the frequency range of 1700Mhz to 2000Mhz, owing to growing telecommunication needs and shortage of spectrum available for growth of cellular services. Sterlite Technologies has been awarded the project to build a new communication network for exclusive use by the armed forces in lieu of the spectrum. The order is for full rollout of OFC network to be owned and operated by the defense services under the project implementation core group (PICG), Ministry of Defense (MoD). It comprises a highly resilient exclusive OFC based nationwide optical backbone for defense sites and access networks at army sites. In this precious project, Sterlite is playing an important part in designing, planning and implementation of this countrywide secure, multi-protocol converged network. It is based on dedicated tri-services optical transport backbone. Sterlite's expertise lies in understanding the geographical profile, network design, product customisation and large scale project execution.

Sterlite's fiber-based intrusion proof solution is designed to create a highly secure network for this critical application. "Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) is one of India's most sensitive areas in all aspects of national interest. We take pride in establishing the critical infrastructure in both telecommunication and power transmission. We have recently been awarded a project to establish a power transmission infrastructure in J&K under NRSS 29. We are happy that our capabilities of creating end-to-end infrastructures in power and telecom are being put to use in India's critical corridors," says Pravin Agarwal, Director Sterlite Technologies Ltd.

About Sterlite Technologies Limited

Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL) develops and delivers products, solutions and infrastructure for telecom and power transmission networks globally. STL is among the global leaders in all its business areas of optical fiber, fiber optic cables, power conductors and HV/EHV power cables through its operations in India, China and Brazil. As the most integrated optical fiber company in the world, STL is also pioneering FTTH deployment in the country to enable high speed broadband connectivity. STL is developing several transmission infrastructure projects spanning over 3000 km, across India. Listed on Stock Exchanges BSE and NSE in Mumbai, India, Sterlite Technologies is a public company with broad shareholder base.

Media Contact: Ravindra Utgikar, [email protected], +91-20-30514000, Sterlite Technologies Ltd.