Wireless Networks

Intelligent Energy and Microqual sign Indian infrastructure agreement

Rapid telecoms expansion could soon be underway in India following an agreement between infrastructure provider Microqual Techno and Intelligent Energy.

Using equipment mounted on existing power transmission towers, the two firms will provide telecoms infrastructure.

Microqual has exclusive rights from Power Grid Corporation of India Limited and other state transmission companies to use their transmission tower infrastructure in Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir – across a total of 85,000 towers.

Intelligent Energy meanwhile will provide power to the equipment mounted on the towers. With the telecoms industry’s growth focus in rural areas, making use of the existing power grid infrastructure will significantly reduce the cost and set-up time of new telecoms sites. 

There are a total of 1,138,300 power transmission towers in India today, with plans to increase this number in the coming years.  The transmission towers can be mounted with both telecoms and non-telecoms related equipment such as potential wireless broadband, distributed antenna systems, alternate networks for mobile network off-load, national security and municipal surveillance, and environmental monitoring.

Mahesh Choudhary, CEO and Principal Founder of Microqual, said, “While using power grid infrastructure to mount telecoms and other equipment is prevalent in the West, we are the first to offer it in India. By doing this, we will be able to deliver substantial savings from day one.”

The partnership between Microqual and Intelligent Energy provides immediate access to approximately 85,000 towers and targets a pan-Indian presence in the next 12 months. The companies plan to work with telecoms operators to map their expansion plans to the geographies where the transmission towers presently exist.

 



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