Indian firm unveils "Zero Opex" GSM network

India awed the world when a homegrown company Vihaan Network Ltd launched a "zero opex" GSM system, enabling telecom operators to offer mobile services at much lower rates than existing tariffs and still make profits.

India on Wednesday awed the world when a homegrown company Vihaan Network Ltd launched a "zero opex" GSM system, enabling telecom operators to offer mobile services at much lower rates than existing tariffs and still make profits.

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The network in terms of one base station could cost less than 10,000 dollars (about Rs five lakh) compared to an estimated cost of over Rs 50 lakh from the traditional network vendors.

Vihaan Network Ltd (VNL), promoted by Rajiv Mehrotra of the Shyam Group, unveiled the world's first solar powered GSM system specially designed to enable mobile operators in the developing world to reach remote rural areas without compromising on their commercial interests.

VNL has spent the last five years re-engineering the complete end to end GSM system consisting of MSC, BSC, BTS, power System & Microwave Backhaul to overcome these challenges, Mehrotra said

The use of solar power not only drastically reduces operating expenses for mobile operators but also is cleaner from the environment point of view, he added.