Sterlite bags Rs 1,800 crore T-Fiber project for 3,000 gram panchayats in Telangana

Data network solutions provider Sterlite Technologies Ltd (STL) said on Thursday it has been awarded the mandate to create a high-speed rural broadband network from Telangana Fiber Grid Corporation Ltd (T-Fiber).

T-Fiber and STL will work together for enabling affordable and high-speed broadband connectivity to 60 lakh rural citizens in the state.

STL was awarded a work order for Rs 1,100 crore for first phase of the project. The total project value is worth Rs 1,800 crore for which the company has received the letter of intent.

The turnkey project entails designing and building an end-to-end rural broadband network across 11 districts, 3,000 gram panchayats and managing the network for an additional seven years. It has a significant operations and maintenance revenue stream, close to 30 per cent of the overall project value.

Telangana is building and leveraging the broadband infrastructure under BharatNet, which aims to provide broadband connectivity to all 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country.

"This initiative will work as a digital revolution to bridge the digital gap between urban and rural India," said Sujai Karampuri, Managing Director of T-Fiber and Director of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications Department.

"With T-Fiber project, we aim to provide an infrastructure for affordable and high-speed broadband connectivity and digital services across the state," he said in a statement.

K S Rao, Chief Executive Officer of STL's Network Software and Services, said the company constantly works to innovate and create a smart digital ecosystem with projects ranging from tower, home and enterprise connectivity to rural broadband and smart cities.

"The uniqueness of T-Fiber project is that it will connect every household across the rural part of state through optical fibre and provide them high-speed internet connectivity. Internet connectivity will enable economic growth and social well-being of rural citizens, thereby making this project a shining example for rural development," he added.

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