Ericsson awarded MTNL broadband access contract in India

Press release

October 20, 2004, 14:05 (CET)

The contract is on a turnkey basis for the supply and rollout of Ericsson's solutions Ethernet DSL Access and Ethernet aggregation technology into the MTNL network. It includes a complete end-to-end broadband access solution including upgrading of existing telephony lines with Ethernet DSL technology, customer premises equipment, bandwidth provisioning system and aggregation network.

"Ericsson is honoured to have been selected by MTNL in executing and delivering state of the art broadband access solutions to support MTNL vision of spearheading the broadband revolution in India," said Jan Campbell, Managing Director, Ericsson India.

The ADSL2+ technology selected by MTNL for the mass rollout, will allow MTNL to offer up to 24 Mbps bandwidth to the customers over existing copper lines. Through its unique scalability and low cost of ownership, Ericsson's Ethernet DSL Access solution is designed to enable cost-effective deployment from small to large nodes. It enables high bandwidth-demanding services to be supported, while at the same time reducing transmission costs radically.

Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world.

Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/press

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT

Kristina Hägg-Blecher
Ericsson Group Function Communications
Phone: +46 702 67 09 55, +46 8 719 69 92
E-mail: press.relations@ericsson.com

Jatin Ahluwalia
Ericsson, Corporate Communications
Phone: + 91 98 10049999
E-mail: jatin.ahluwalia@ericsson.com

About Ericsson's Ethernet DSL Access Solution
Ericsson's Ethernet DSL Access - designed to allow operators achieve mass market DSL - offers a flexible, scalable and powerful IP DSLAM supporting installations ranging from a handful of subscribers to large site deployments.

The solution is designed without concentration in the DSLAM to ensure high-capacity throughput and no end-user limitations. By avoiding concentration in the DSLAM and connecting directly to an Ethernet aggregation network, the solution enables high bandwidth-demanding services to be supported, while at the same time reducing transport costs radically. This is a key advantage for an operator to secure their ability to compete in terms of price, bandwidth and service offering.

Ethernet DSL Access dramatically alters the economics of rolling out DSL and enables operators to address potential broadband subscribers profitably.
Read more about Ericsson's Ethernet DSL Access at: www.ericsson.com/publicethernet

About MTNL
MTNL was set up on 1st April, 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. In the past 17 years, the company has taken rapid strides to emerge as India's leading and one of Asia's largest telecom operating companies. Besides having a strong financial base, MTNL has achieved a market share of approximately 13% of the Indian telecommunication network with a customer base of over 4.98 million lines.

The company has also been in the forefront of technology induction by converting 100% of its telephone exchange network into the state-of-the-art digital mode.

The Govt. of India currently holds 56.25% stake in the company.

In the year 2003-04, the company would not only consolidate the gains but would also focus on new areas of enterprise viz. Joint Ventures for projects outside India, entering into national long distance operation, widening the cellular and CDMA-based WLL customer base, setting up internet and allied services on all India basis.
Read more about MTNL at:
http://www.mtnl.net.in/index.htm