Barren island, part of the Indian Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Photo via Wikipedia

ST Engineering iDirect has won a new telecoms contract in India, the company announced Feb. 4. Shaf Broadcast, on behalf of the Indian state-owned telecommunications company, BSNL has decided to work with ST Engineering iDirect to bring more satellite capacity to the offshore Indian islands of Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep under a Universal Service Obligation (USO) project funded by the Department of Telecommunications. Utilizing the Newtec Dialog platform to provide internet and 2G, 3G, and 4G services, the connectivity will boost social and economic activity to islands that previously had limited access to bandwidth.

Lakshadweep is a tropical archipelago of 36 atolls and coral reefs off the coast of Kerala, South West India, with a total population of some 70,000 people. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located at the juncture of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, and are home to some 380,000 people scattered over 38 inhabited islands. Both archipelagos are Union Territories, which the Central Government of India is keen to develop as tourist destinations and economic hubs.

“This project is critical as it meets the growing connectivity requirements of these important island states,” said Sanjay Kumar, general manager for BSNL. “It was integral to the project that we selected the right partner and technology in order to meet the stringent timelines as this will be closely monitored by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Department of Telecommunications.”