HFCL consortium to get contract worth Rs 13,000 cr for BharatNet Phase 3

Telecom gear maker HFCL Ltd on Monday said the company along with its consortium partners has been declared the lowest bidder for optical fibre-based broadband network projects worth Rs 13,000 crore under BharatNet Phase III for UP East, UP West and Punjab circles.

The company placed bids for UP East and UP West through consortium partners and alone for the Punjab circle.

"HFCL-Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL)-Aerial Telecom Solutions Private Limited, a Consortium has been declared as the Lowest Bidders by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), for bids valued at around Rs 6,925 crore to provide middle-mile network in Uttar Pradesh (East) and Uttar Pradesh (West) under the BharatNet Phase III programme," the company said in the filing.

The consortium will be awarded 10 years of operation and maintenance (O&M) order at an annual rate of 5.5 per cent of capex for the first five years and 6.5 per cent for the subsequent five years which will be worth about Rs 4,155 crores, after commissioning of the first ring of network, the filing said.

"HFCL has also emerged as the top bidder for Punjab circle for a bid value of Rs 1244 crores in the BharatNet phase III tenders, on standalone basis. Furthermore, HFCL is expected to secure 10 years of O&M order valued at around Rs 746 crore with annual rates of 5.5 per cent per annum of capex for first five years and 6.5 per cent per annum of capex for next five years, after commissioning of the first ring of network, the filing said.

HFCL, Managing Director, Mahendra Nahata said , Managing Director of HFCL said that as a trusted BSNL partner, we look forward to continued collaborations and contributing significantly to the success of BharatNet Phase-III program.

"HFCL is well placed with a diverse product line that includes routers, optical fibre cables, fibre connectivity solutions, transport solutions, power management solutions etc., to address the needs of the BharatNet Phase III program," Nahata said.

The BharatNet Phase III specifically focuses on bringing high-speed fibre-optic networks to currently unconnected gram panchayats (GPs), addressing digital connectivity gaps in underserved regions.

The third phase will ensure equitable broadband access across the country, connecting GPs on an IP-MPLS network, which is essential for enabling services like e-health, e-education, and e-governance in remote and underserved areas.

The BharatNet Phase III is set to link all 6.4 lakh villages in India with high-speed internet, targeting over 250,000 gram panchayats. It aims to deliver a minimum of 100 Mbps bandwidth at each GP, bringing every GP online.