UTStarcom To Set Up Manufacturing Plant In India: Report

UTStarcom, a telecom equipment maker is reportedly planning to set up its manufacturing unit in India. Besides, the company is likely to bring its research and development center in India, as BSNL has cleared its dues, reports PTI.

According to the reports, the Hong Kong-based company is supplying its products to BSNL and Tata Teleservices in India. The firm also intimated that it has the approval to set up a unit here. But they are waiting for its dues to get clear from the PSU, which is more than Rs. 500 crore.

"We have already approved plans from our management for manufacturing and the R&D (center), but because of this slowdown and issues in the (dues) collection (we) have deferred our plans till December. The management will again review the position in December and after that, they will take the final decision," UTStarcom India Managing Director Rahul Pandey was quoted by the news agency.

Apart from that, the company is developing gears that can support 200 gigabits speed per second. "We have done the investment in the area of transmission and broadband products. Similarly for Next-generation Network, we have supplied more than 30 lakh of the access ports in 2018-19, mostly to BSNL and Tata. We are expecting the market to revive next year," he added.

Notably, UTStarcom is also helping BSNL to offer high-speed data services in 1,000 villages in the Northern and North-Eastern part of India India. The company is providing this service through a combination of satellite links and WiFi hotspots, which is powered by solar. For the unaware, this is also known as the first modern project, which offers telecom infrastructure to such remote locations. Under this partnership, UTStarcom is offering products like power over ethernet (PoE) switches, wireless access points, wireless controllers, and other network-related components.