NEC Technologies India has bagged a major order from Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) to set up an optical submarine cable system connecting Chennai and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

NEC Corporation will manufacture the optical submarine cable and provide technical assistance during the turnkey implementation of the cable which will have 2,300km length and carry 100Gb/s optical waves.

It is not known whether Huawei India and other technology companies were the contenders for the major submarine cable deal from BSNL, a telecom operator owned by the India government.

NEC said the contract is for a system that includes a segment with repeaters from Chennai to Port Blair and seven segments without repeaters between the islands of Havelock, Little Andaman (Hutbay), Car Nicobar, Kamorta, the Great Nicobar Islands, Long Island and Rangat.

The cable system will provide enough bandwidth for supporting voice and data connectivity that enable the implementation of e-Governance initiatives, such as the establishment of enterprises and e-commerce facilities for the A&N Islands.

“We trust NEC for the technological edge they hold in the domain and their commitment to adherence of timelines to ensure successful completion of the project. This project will enable much needed high capacity connectivity with the Andaman Islands and usher a new era of development for the region,” said Anupam Shrivastava, chairman and managing director of BSNL.

“We are confident about successfully completing the project by leveraging the technological edge of NEC and long history of successful implementation of numerous complex projects in the region,” said Takayuki Inaba, managing director of NECTI.