Bhubaneswar Smart City floats tender for leasing OFC network

The Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited has issued a request for a proposal to lease out its underground optical fibre cable (OFC) network to licensed internet service providers.

BSCL CEO and Managing Director Sanjay Kumar Singh on Friday said that for the BSCL fibre optic network, a Request For Proposal (RFP) has already been issued, and the process will be completed soon so that citizens can benefit from the service.

The move, according to the media, will help BSCL generate revenue in addition to providing citizens with better internet service. According to BSCL data, the Smart City has set a goal of laying 680 km of OFC network, of which more than 550 km have been completed and 501 km have been successfully tested.

There are two types of fibre optic cable strands in the network infrastructure: 120 and 12 core cable strands. The 120 core cable strands are used for communication network backbone connectivity, while the 12 core cable strands are used for last-mile connectivity to smart elements. According to a BSCL official, the underground OFC network will keep the city clean.

The service providers take the cable overhead to provide connectivity to a single or a group of internet users, clogging the area. This problem, however, will be solved by the underground OFC network.

As part of the Smart Solutions project, BSCL is establishing an optical fibre communication network to provide seamless and reliable internet connectivity for all on-field smart elements such as CCTV cameras, PAS speakers, Dynamic Message Sign Boards (DMS), Traffic Violation Detection System (TVDS), and Wi-Fi access points. The BSCL also intends to lease out fibre cores for monetisation and revenue generation. The OFC network will be leased out by BSCL to licenced internet providers.

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