Lucent, AT&T to make fresh investments

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 20. Lucent Technologies and AT&T would make fresh investments in India with the former setting up a manufacturing facility for switches and the latter entering into national long distance (NLD) sector, the Telecom Commission Chairman, Shyamal Ghosh, said today.

``We are expecting investment to the tune of Rs. 1,500 crores from American companies in the telecom sector in the immediate future," he said.

Indirect investments are expected in the submarine cable sector through Singtel-Bharti venture and Dishnet submarine cable project, he added.

He said American investors were looking into the Indian market with great interest. On the question of deregulating the telecom services, he said the cellular services would also be offered for unlimited entry of service providers.

However, spectrum (frequencies) has been a limiting factor in this regard. "There is no clean spectrum available for operations", Mr. Ghosh said, adding that the question of third generation (3G) technology was far away as it had not taken off in the U.S.

- PTI

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