Gemini bags Rs 75 crore order from TNEB

Gemini Communication, has bagged an order worth Rs 75 crore from Tamil Nadu
Electricity Board (TNEB) for computerization of 1,725 collection centers under
the Billing for Essential Services in TNEB (BEST) scheme. This is the second
phase of the project which will be handled by a team of eight chief engineers
and is expected to benefit over 1.5 crore consumers. With this project TNEB will
computerize all their collection centers spread across Tamil Nadu.

In the first phase Gemini deployed the solution at about 456 collection
centers spread across nine regions and the order value was to the tune of

Rs 50 crore. In the second phase, TNEB floated a tender for eight regions
catering to 1,725 collection centers so that all collection centers  were
covered under the computerization program.

Work simplified: Gemini to computerize 1,725 collection centers of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board

Vijay Kumar, MD, Gemini Communication said, “TNEB has saved significantly in
terms of cost by allowing us to be innovative in their network design. They had
proposed the bandwidth required for every single region and the mode of
connectivity was left with the concerned design company to propose. This brings
out the best for TNEB as innovative and cost effective technology could be
used.”

Gemini's proposed solution works on 95 percent wireless and five percent
leased lines. The remote rural office of TNEB will be connected to a circle
office and the circle office, which in turn would be connected to the regional
office.

In the first phase, GCL had already deployed servers and storage products for
this network and hence the data that is being typed in at the remote rural
office will automatically be saved in the server of the regional office. Till
date, regional offices have not been connected to one single data-center, which
could be taken up by TNEB after this project is completed.

For the leased lines GCL has approached Railtel and other private service
providers. It is using US-based PointRed technologies wireless modems for this
project. There will be a deployment of more than 4,500 modems in this project,
which the company claims is the biggest deployment of wireless in Asia for a
non-telecom company.

Kumar further added, “The key differentiator between GCL and the rest of the
bidders for the project was the network design and our strength in wireless
technology, added to the fact that we are selling our own modems into this
network. Our decision to acquire PointRed was instrumental in bringing down our
cost thus becoming more competitive in the marketplace. PointRed will also be
coming out with mobile WiMAX range of products soon.”