Now Reading: HFCL, Furukawa plan fresh optical fibre capacity investments
-
01
HFCL, Furukawa plan fresh optical fibre capacity investments
HFCL has approved nearly Rs 400 crore to expand its optical fibre and optical fibre cable manufacturing capacity, with completion expected by July 2028. The company will use internal accruals and debt.…
The Story in Brief
HFCL has approved nearly Rs 400 crore to expand its optical fibre and optical fibre cable manufacturing capacity, with completion expected by July 2028. The company will use internal accruals and debt. Optical fibre capacity is set to rise to 38.50 million fibre kilometres a year, while cable capacity will reach 56.36 million fibre kilometres.
Separately, Japan’s Furukawa Electric plans to invest about Rs 6,000 crore across India, the US, Brazil and Japan to expand optical fibre and rollable ribbon cable production. Mass production is scheduled to begin progressively from the second half of FY2028. Its investment in India will involve Birla Furukawa Fibre Optics, a joint venture with Universal Cables, and remains subject to agreement on terms.
The Indian Opinion
The easy narrative is that artificial intelligence alone is driving an inevitable fibre boom. The other lazy claim is that every announced investment will quickly create domestic jobs and exports. Both need restraint. HFCL’s plan rests on its order book and expected business, while Furukawa’s Indian investment is not yet finalised. The useful test is whether these projects meet their capacity and production timelines, especially July 2028 for HFCL and the second half of FY2028 for Furukawa.
Sources (2): telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com, telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com (2)
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
