Domestic telecom gear makers allay fears of BSNL on unreliable equipment

NEW DELHI: Home-grown telecom gear makers have rejected the stand of state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) that reliability of indigenous equipment might be suspect, arguing instead that the national drive toward achieving self-sufficiency requires more orders for local output that passes both quality and security filters.

“As regards to the quality of products, the remarks (by BSNL) are absolutely vague and not specific,” the Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council (Tepc) said in a recent letter to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). “The indigenous equipment is purchased by BSNL after proper testing and infrastructure assessment.”