India's largest and state-owned telecommunications company has chosen SOMA Networks (News - Alert) Inc. to deploy a broadband wireless network (WiMAX) in three densely populated states covering about 200 million people.

 

The new wireless broadband infrastructure will offer data and voice services in India's fastest-growing telecom zones: Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa, and Andhra Pradesh.

 

WiMAX is the ideal broadband solution for India where a majority of population lives in rural areas, beyond the reach of fixed-line networks.

 

BSNL, which has a formidable network infrastructure in the country, said the deal represents a major step forward in realizing the Indian government’s “Vision 2010” mandate to make broadband services ubiquitous in turning the country into a global information technology force.

 

Based on the 802.16e-2005 standard, SOMA’s Mobile WiMAX (News - Alert) solution provides extended range and supports high subscriber density per sector.

 

“India has an immense need for connectivity across a varied and wide-ranging demographic population,” said Mr. Kuldeep Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of BSNL. “After testing, we found SOMA Networks’ solution qualified to meet the requirements of our Vision 2010 mandate.”

 

With a rapidly growing middle class and highly educated population, India currently has an enormous demand for broadband services. By deploying SOMA Networks’ end-to-end Mobile WiMAX solution, BSNL will bring a full range of multimedia services to an area serving more than 200 million people over the next three years.

 

“Our partnership with BSNL validates SOMA’s strategy of providing broadband voice and data services to bridge the digital divide, a strategy we have been successfully executing for the past nine years,” said Yatish Pathak, founder and CEO of SOMA Networks.