Latest news with #BharatNetPhase3
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
TTDF-funded projects to support India's leadership in network technologies: Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani
NEW DELHI: The research and development (R&D) projects funded by the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) will support India's leadership in key network technology domains, according to Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani . 'Through the Telecom Technology Development Fund, over 120 high-impact R&D projects are under way—spanning quantum communication, AI-automated networks, and indigenous core infrastructure. These are the seeds of future leadership,' Pemmasani said during the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 roadshow in Bengaluru on Tuesday. Further, Pemmasani said India has made rapid strides in expanding connectivity nationwide. As per the minister, India now has over 1.18 billion mobile subscribers — the second-largest telecom network globally, while nearly 1 billion access broadband, a massive 1452% jump from 2014 figures. BharatNet , the world's largest rural broadband project, has already connected over 2.18 lakh Gram Panchayats with high-speed optical fiber. 'Under BharatNet Phase 3, we're investing $18 billion (₹1.4 lakh crore) to connect an additional 40,000 Gram Panchayats, maintain existing 2.18 lakh village connections, and extend subsidized broadband access to 1.5 crore rural households,' he added. Pemmasani said that 4G saturation has reached over 95% of India's 6.4 lakh villages, and recalled that the world's fastest 5G rollout happened in India, with over 4.7 lakh 5G sites deployed in just over two years, covering 99.6% of districts. 'India offers one of the world's lowest data prices. By making data accessible and affordable, we have democratized the digital revolution, allowing millions to connect, create, and contribute,' the minister said. As per him, India was importing 75% of handsets, but today, the country exports phones worth ₹1.8 trillion per year, marking a shift from "Made for India" to "Made by India." Union Minister of Communications & Development of North East Region, Jyotiraditya Scindia, in March unveiled the ninth edition of the IMC 2025, which is set to take place between October 8 to October 11. Organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), IMC 2025 is expected to attract over 1.5 lakh visitors from more than 150 countries, feature over 400 exhibitors and partners, and more than 7,000 global delegates.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
DoT seeks ISPs to use BharatNet infrastructure to bridge digital divide
NEW DELHI: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has urged the country's internet service provider (ISP) industry to increase the utilisation of the BharatNet infrastructure to bridge the digital divide in India. 'We at DBN (Digital Bharat Nidhi) are implementing the amended BharatNet project with an outlay of nearly ₹1.5 lakh crore, which aims to connect nearly 2.6 lakh gram panchayats. I feel that it is a great opportunity for various stakeholders, including ISPs, to be part of this huge exercise taken by the government of India to bridge the digital divide,' Niraj Verma, administrator, DBN, said Tuesday at an industry conference. BharatNet, a rural telecom connectivity project, is aimed at providing non-discriminatory access to broadband connectivity to all telecom operators, including ISPs, with the objective to connect a total of 6.5 lakh villages. However, the ambitious digital connectivity has been facing several execution-related challenges despite multiple extensions. "We have tried twice, Bharat Net Phase 1 and Phase 2, and we did not succeed to that extent due to various reasons. In Phase 1, we tried to connect 1.2 lakh villages, and then in Phase 2, tenders were awarded for eight states. The results had been mixed."Verma added. Under the BharatNet Phase 3, he said tenders have been awarded in 12 packages, including in major states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, and West Bengal. State-controlled Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (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 3 programme. Initially envisioned in 2011 under the UPA-II regime as the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN), it was rebranded as BharatNet in 2015. Read More | Controversies surface over BSNL's ₹1.39 lakh crore BharatNet 3 programme In July 2022, the Cabinet approved the merger of Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) with BSNL to accelerate project rollout. In August 2023, the Centre approved the Amended BharatNet Programme (ABP) to expand fibre connectivity to the remaining 3.8 lakh non-Gram Panchayat villages on a demand basis. The top official said that nearly 2.12 lakh villages are service-ready today, cautioning that only 50,000 gram panchayats have an uptime of over 98% under BharatNet. 'We have now changed our focus from implementing the project to utilisation of the network and in amended BharatNet, it is a little different in the sense that we are giving the states as packages to EPC contractors, and we have a referee which is in the form of independent engineers,' Verma said. 'The idea is to get the services from this EPC contractor and a network with 98% uptime.' He added that a stable network offers 'exciting opportunities' to wireline ISPs, who can lease bandwidth or dark fiber to provide backhaul for mobile towers, or deliver broadband services and generate a new revenue model. 'We are engaging BharatNet Udyamis (entrepreneurs) for providing the connections, and anyone, including ISPs, can participate as BNUs under BSNL. ISPs can also have a look at the network that will come up and how they would like to provide services. We are ready to look at any alternate model where our utilisation goes up,' the official said. Under BharatNet, as of December 2024, 6,92,428 km of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) has been laid and 2,09,281 gram panchayats (GPs) are service-ready on OFC. In addition, 5,032 GPs have been connected over satellite media, thus, a total of 2,14,313 GPs are service-ready, the Ministry of Communications said last year.
