Ericsson, Bharti Infratel bag Smart City project

NEW DELHI: Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson and telecom tower company Bharti Infratel have bagged a smart city project from Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation (BSCDCL) to deploy smart poles in the city at an investment of Rs 690 crore.

The venture has 7-8 projects built into one programme, on a public-private partnership model, under which Ericsson and Bharti Infratel will install 400 smart poles across the city.

They will be equipped with environment sensors, electronic vehicle charging points, surveillance cameras, digital signage system and, Wi-Fi access points, BSCDCL CEO Chandramoli Shukla told ET. The Wi-Fi service will be laun ched once 50 poles are deployed in the city.

The two companies will incur a Rs 390 crore capital expenditure and a Rs 300 crore operating expenditure over 15 years. BSCDCL is a special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed for the smart city mission in Bhopal.

The poles will be backed by a 200 kilometre optical fibre network to be deployed by Bharti Infratel that will connect government buildings and schools. The SPV plans to execute the smart school project through this network, which will also link all the bus stops.