Latest news with #BharatNetPhase-III
Time of India
4 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
BharatNet Phase 3: Echelon Edge selected by HFCL, ITI-Terasoft, NCC to deploy NMS, OSS solutions
NEW DELHI: Homegrown IT solutions provider Echelon Edge on Wednesday said it has been selected by consortium partners HFCL , ITI-Terasoft, and NCC, to deploy a network management system (NMS) and operations support system (OSS) under the BharatNet Phase-3 programme. The Gurugram-headquartered IT company said the deployments will strengthen network control and visibility for BharatNet's middle-mile infrastructure across multiple states and union territories. BharatNet Phase-III is one of India's most significant rural connectivity programs, aimed at delivering high-speed broadband to villages and underserved areas. As part of this initiative, Echelon Edge will deploy a centralised OSS platform that will unify the management of BharatNet's extensive network infrastructure. The project spans key regions including Madhya Pradesh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh (East and West), Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and Punjab. By consolidating Element Management Systems (EMS) into a unified monitoring ecosystem, the OSS solution will provide centralised command and control, making it possible to manage the network efficiently while ensuring uninterrupted connectivity. With advanced IP/MPLS provisioning, the system will facilitate smart routing and scalable backbone communication to support the growing demand for high-speed internet. The deployment will also introduce predictive analytics for proactive network health monitoring. Through comprehensive end-to-end service assurance, the solution will ensure consistent and reliable connectivity from the transport layer to access points. In addition, the platform will provide structured governance for incidents, problems, change management, SLAs, and knowledge resources. 'With this deployment, we are bringing automation and centralized control to the core of BharatNet's middle mile while ensuring reliable services, greater transparency, and a network that's built to scale for the future,' said Gaurav Gandhi, CEO & co-founder of Echelon Edge.
Time of India
23-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
STL expects revenue boost from data centre portfolio, says J&K BharatNet project ‘on track'
NEW DELHI: Homegrown optical solutions maker Sterlite Technologies (STL) expects its enterprise equipment, and recently launched data centre (DC) portfolio to boost its revenues in the coming quarters. STL, which won a ₹2,600-crore deal for the Jammu & Kashmir leg of the BharatNet Phase-III programme in consortium with Dilip Buildcon, said that project execution has started in several regions. 'We aim to capture nearly 25% of our revenues from DC and enterprise products over the next few quarters. And this will be driven by artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, and 5G that are accelerating data centre constructions, along with an anticipated two-fold surge in hyperscaler and colocation capital expenditure (capex) in India in FY26,' Ankit Agarwal, managing director, STL, told ETTelecom in an interview. STL's data centre connectivity offerings include high-performance fibre, copper cabling, connectors, engineering services, and design consultancy. Citing third-party market estimates, STL in its recent quarterly earnings report had said that data centres with GPU-dense racks require 36-times more fibre compared to CPU racks, while AI data centres need 70% higher fibre density than traditional data centres, which will drive the demand for optical fibre cables. 'We have already initiated commercial discussions with multiple hyperscalers, telcos, and colocation operators in India and MEA,' Agarwal said, adding that the vendor's DC portfolio has been well-received across sectors, particularly by enterprises that are scaling private and edge data centers. According to the top executive, the company is adopting a partner-led go-to-market (GTM) strategy to sell its DC connectivity portfolio in the US, Europe, and Southeast Asia in the coming years. In India, STL is hiring several channel partners, including Tech Data India or TD Synnex, which has enabled faster market access across more than 70 cities. 'Pilot deployments are underway in key accounts, which will be followed by full-scale rollouts in the coming quarters,' Agarwal said. Revenue of STL's optical networking business, however, fell by 2.32% year-on-year to ₹3,741-crore in FY25. The vendor's consolidated net loss increased marginally 1.41% year-on-year to ₹72-crore in the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2025. HFCL and Polycab , which are among the leading domestic vendors, are also capitalising on the data centre growth in India. According to a recent study by real estate consulting firm Colliers India, the country's data centre industry is expected to attract $20-25 billion in fresh investments in the next five to six years. It found that the total capacity will more than triple to over 4.5 GW by 2030, driven by the adoption of cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and digitalisation. 'With this new BharatNet project in Jammu & Kashmir, our focus is on expanding broadband connectivity to villages,' Agarwal said. 'Execution is on track in many regions, but challenges like terrain complexity, right-of-way (RoW) issues, and skilled manpower availability can impact rollout pace,' he added. STL suggested that the Central government shift its focus from deployment to monetisation of BharatNet assets, adding that deployment quality and performance tracking must be standardised to ensure long-term viability. The company had previously contributed to the execution of the Network for Spectrum (NFS) project in Jammu & Kashmir, building an intrusion-proof network spanning over 10,000 kilometres for the Indian Armed Forces.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
BharatNet Phase-III: Polycab wins ₹6,447.54-crore deal for Karnataka, Goa and Puducherry circle
NEW DELHI: State-controlled Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited ( BSNL ) has awarded a ₹6,447.54-crore deal to homegrown electrical wires and optical cable manufacturer Polycab to construct and maintain a middle-mile network under the BharatNet Phase-III programme in Karnataka, Goa and Puducherry telecom circle. '...Polycab India Limited has executed an agreement with BSNL as the Project Implementation Agency for Design, Supply, Construction, installation, upgradation, operation and maintenance of middle mile network of Bharat Net in Karnataka, Goa and Puducherry Telecom Circle against Package No. 4 amounting ₹6,447.54 crores (inclusive of GST),' Polycab said in a regulatory filing in aftermarket hours Tuesday. The deal value comprises a capital expenditure (capex) of ₹3,741.92-crore and operating expenditure (opex) of ₹2,245.15-crore, and an opex of ₹460.47-crore for the existing network, as per the filing. BharatNet , a rural telecom connectivity project, is aimed at providing non-discriminatory access to broadband connectivity to all telecom operators (telcos). BSNL has previously awarded contracts to Polycab, ITI Limited, Sterlite Technologies (STL), Telecommunications Consultants of India Limited (TCIL), and Pratap Technocrats, among others, under multiple packages of the BharatNet Phase-III programme. ETTelecom reported on August 7, 2024, that the Telecommunications Consultants of India Limited (TCIL), ITI Limited, indigenous optical fiber cable (OFC) makers HFCL, STL, Polycab, and Pratap Technocrats, are among the bidders for the third phase of the Centre's ambitious BharatNet programme. Indigenous OFC makers Polycab, STL and HFCL presented solo bids while as many as 18 bidders, including G R Infraprojects, Vindhya Telelinks, Pace Digitek Infra Private Limited, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), Bharat Electronics Limited, Megha Engineering, and others, took the consortium route. A total of 21 bidders put in their bids under the BharatNet 3 program for Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (East), Uttar Pradesh (West), Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, North East Region – I and North East Region – II, and others. In early 2024, the Centre rolled out the BharatNet III programme with an outlay of Rs 65,000-crore. The last date to submit bids was August 6, 2024. The tender is part of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's Rs 1.39 lakh crore BharatNet programme which aims to provide last-mile broadband connectivity, and upgrade the existing 164,000 gram panchayats, as well as, connect 47,000 gram panchayats under the new model.
