The scope of the partnership is to map out the operator’s strategy for architecture and services innovation surrounding 5G and IoT, including SDN, NFV, and mobile edge technologies.
As part of the collaboration Coriant and BSNL will create 5G and IoT use cases in the areas of: rural connectivity, connected healthcare, industrial automation, public safety, video surveillance, energy and agriculture.
Speaking on the partnership, Anupam Shrivastava, chairman and managing director of BSNL: “We continue to focus on bringing our customers across India the latest innovations in communications technologies that enrich their personal and work lives. 5G represents an enormous leap forward in capacity and throughput speeds, and we are pleased to team with our long-term technology partner Coriant to tap into these capabilities and explore real-world use cases for next-generation services and applications.”
In addition, the agreement includes research programs, sharing knowledge, workshops on the latest networking trends and hyperscale architectures that are designed to support the scalable, ultra-low latency delivery of commercial 5G services and applications.
Shaygan Kheradpir, CEO and chairman at Coriant, added: “BSNL’s vision aligns nicely with our strategy of driving innovation in purpose-built 5G solutions and architectures. We look forward to our joint work and the opportunity to help BSNL fast track development toward a 5G and IoT future and bring the value of these technologies to India and its citizens.”
In March of this year, the Indian government announced its intention to merge BSNL with MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited), its other state-owned operator. The two companies have come under strain from increasing competition in the Indian teleco sector and are reportedly recording losses.
