Polycab, the Mumbai-based electrical equipment company, bags a contract worth Rs 6,447.54 crore from the state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) under the BharatNet Phase III project. The contract assigns Polycab as the Project Implementation Agency (PIA) for the BharatNet project in Karnataka, Goa, and Puducherry.

The company made the information public in a recent filing with the stock exchange. The contract entails the design, supply, construction, installation, upgradation, operation, and maintenance of the middle-mile network infrastructure under package 4 of the amended BharatNet program. The ambitious program aims to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the country, upgrading around 164,000 gram panchayats and connecting around 47,000 gram panchayats under the initiative. 

To read more about the number of Gram Panchayats that have connected so far under the BharatNet project, click here!  

Details of the Contract

The total contract value comprises ₹3,741.92 crore in capital expenditure (capex), ₹2,245.15 crores in operational expenditure (OPEX) for the new network, and ₹460.47 crores in OPEX for the existing network — all inclusive of GST. The project includes a three-year construction phase, followed by a 10-year maintenance period. 

Maintenance charges will be billed annually at 5.5% of capex for the first five years and 6.5% per annum for the subsequent five years.

Reports of Lowest Bidders 

Previous reports of the lowest bidders mention a consortium led by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) comprising HFCL Limited and Aerial Telecom Solutions Pvt Ltd; read the corresponding filing made by the PSU in the stock exchange. 

Click here to read more about it!

BharatNet

BharatNet is one of the world’s largest rural broadband initiatives, spearheaded by the Government of India to ensure universal internet access across 2.5 lakh (250,000) Gram Panchayats. The project is designed to enable telecom operators to deliver critical digital services — including e-health, e-education, and e-governance — thereby bridging the digital divide in rural and remote regions.