Idea Cellular, India's third-largest telecom operator, is upgrading its optical network and has given a contract to ECI, which is a provider of ELASTIC Network solutions for service providers, critical infrastructures and data center operators. Idea is upgrading its network to support ever-increasing customer demand for bandwidth and data. ECI’s access DWDM solution will be rolled out across more than half of the operators’ network.
“Idea is a pan-India wireless broadband operator offering high-speed mobile internet and digital content services to our customers. ECI has long been our partner and has supported us in rolling out 3G/4G networks with optimum solutions. We will be able to enhance capacity and meet the ever-growing demand for data with the new solution," said Anil Tandan, Chief Technology Officer, Idea Cellular.
As mobile phone penetration in India grows, so too has the demand for mobile data as the country is considered one of the world’s largest consumers of mobile data.
Idea said that the ECI solution would ensure maximum utilisation of its existing infrastructure while creating a future-proof solution that already accounts for additional upgrades. "This will ultimately help Idea meet the evolving demand across the market, while fulfilling its commitment to Digital India, the country’s initiative to connect rural and underserved areas of the population with high-speed internet access," it said.
“ECI is committed to providing scalable, future-proof solutions that significantly benefit telecom operators worldwide,” said President of ECI India, Sajeet Shivashankaran. “Our products and solutions, including the access DWDM platform, provide the necessary flexibility to expand and grow with the changing needs of our customers.
Idea has been expanding its mobile broadband network. During the first nine months of the financial year, 2017-18 Idea has added over 33,500 wireless broadband sites, and the current 143,500 broadband sites now cover 620 million Indian population.
The telecom is also moving fast to launch its VoLTE services during the calendar year 2018.
