Broadband
MTNL to invest Rs 4 billion for broadband platform, Ericsson wins bid as systems integrator
MUMBAI: Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. is getting ready to play the triple game – video streaming, voice services and high-speed Internet access.
The state-run organisation has selected multinational giant Ericsson as the systems integrator to build the platform, while rejecting seven other bidders including Alcatel, UTStarcom and HFCL.
MTNL plans to invest Rs 4 billion over the next one year as it targets 14 lakh broadband customers in Mumbai and Delhi. In the first phase, the company will invest Rs 1 billion within six months. “We are targeting 2 lakh ports each in Mumbai and Delhi within six months. We expect to launch our service by December-end or mid-January,” says MTNL executive director, Mumbai, RL Dube.
For the second phase, MTNL will pump in Rs 3 billion and install 1 million ports. “The pipe will be ready. We will offer high-speed Internet on our own. For content, we will have a franchisee model,” says Dube.
Ericsson quoted the lowest cost in a tender floated by MTNL. “We decided on Ericsson two weeks back. The other bidders were quoting higher. ITI Ltd. participated along with Alcatel but we rejected them on technical grounds as they were offering old models,” says Dube.
Unlike state-owned BSNL which went for the franchisee model, MTNL opted to directly invest in building the systems platform for triple play. BSNL had selected Bangalore-based I-Spatial to provide broadband services on its network. The experiment has not been successful and I-Spatial’s investments are locked.
“We are in a position to spend money ourselves. The investment required is not huge. Besides, the franchisee model is not working,” says Dube.
MTNL plans to provide a wide range of broadband services using its copper loop network. Several other telecom operators have also announced their plans to foray into triple play.
Broadband
ACT Fibernet elevates Aditya Singh to chief customer experience officer
Former senior vp to drive service, retention and delivery revamp
BENGALURU: ACT Fibernet has elevated Aditya Singh to chief customer experience officer, effective 1 January, 2026, as the broadband provider seeks to tighten its grip on service quality in an increasingly competitive market.
Singh, who previously served as senior vice-president – customer experience and loyalty at group level, will now join the executive committee and lead the company’s end-to-end customer transformation agenda.
The move gives him oversight of customer service, customer retention and service delivery, alongside a broader mandate to strengthen network resilience and field operations. The company said the reshuffle underlines its intent to deliver a “consistent, seamless and superior” experience to its 2.3m subscribers across more than 30 cities.
Headquartered in Bengaluru, ACT Fibernet, the consumer-facing brand of Atria Convergence Technologies Limited, is one of India’s largest wired internet service providers. It has built its pitch on high-speed connectivity and responsive customer support, at a time when fibre roll-outs and price wars are redrawing the broadband map.
In a statement, Singh said he was “deeply honoured” to take on the expanded brief and join the executive committee as the company sharpens its focus on simplifying customer touchpoints and turning subscribers into brand advocates.
The elevation signals a clear priority: in a crowded fibre market, customer experience is fast becoming the decisive battleground.
