HFCL, a company engaged in the telecommunications infrastructure sector on Saturday said that it is currently implementing Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) network for Reliance Jio in about 300 cities across India. The development was shared by Mahendra Nahata, promoter and managing director of HFCL in its first quarter earnings call for the period ended June 30, 2020. Nahata said that the FTTH network has been a “great opportunity” for HFCL. Further, it was said that the company is expanding its capacity for fibre to home ecosystem by putting up a new facility in Hyderabad.
HFCL Implementing FTTH Network for Reliance Jio Across 300 Cities
Nahata said that HFCL is supplying the “entire range” of fibre optic cable in “large volume” to Reliance Jio. Further, Nahata said that the new production facility in Hyderabad would be active in the month of November. “We are already expanding our capacity for FTTH fibre kind of a cable,” Nahata said in the first quarter earnings call. “Moreover, apart from that, accessories for FTTH cables are also being produced in our Chennai Facility and those are also being supplied in large quantity to Jio, which is the biggest, the largest implementation of FTTH network happening by Jio.” Nahata said that the fibre prices in the country have been “more or less stable” at Rs 280 per fibre kilometer. Additionally, Nahata said that the spectrum auction for 5G services is at least six to nine months away. Nahata said that the deployment of 5G would happen in one to one and half years from now, provided the auction happens in a six to nine months period.
HFCL Seeks More Clarity on BSNL 4G Network
Meanwhile, Nahata said that HFCL is not looking at BSNL 4G rollout as an “opportunity” due to multiple reasons including the lack of clarity on the equipment requirement and payment issues. Nahata said that HFCL does not know what kind of equipment BSNL wants with its 4G network and “what kind of implementation” the operator plans with its 4G services. Crucially, Nahata does not believe a “large number of companies” would participate in BSNL 4G rollout “unless there is a surety” on the payment plan. Further, Nahata said that the company would look for a “commitment” from the government on how the payment will be made or secured with regards to BSNL 4G network rollout.
