BharatNet Phase III opens, attracts industry attention on new consortiums

The bid submission and opening of much awaited BSNL’s Phase-III BharatNet tender worth approximately Rs 65,000 crore has attracted considerable industry attention as the bidders include single bids and consortium bids from entities leveraging different strengths and strategies to secure high value contracts. The opening of BharatNet Phase-III tender, valued at approximately Rs 65,000 crore, marks a significant advancement in India’s Rs 1.4 trillion BharatNet project aimed at improving rural connectivity. This phase focuses on upgrading existing infrastructure and connecting more gram panchayats, including around 164,000 gram panchayats and an additional 47,000 under the new phase. This development is expected to substantially boost India’s fiber rollout services market.

This initiative is set to significantly enhance rural broadband infrastructure, providing opportunities for both established telecom companies and new consortiums. The involvement of private players in middle-mile connectivity and local entrepreneurs in last-mile connectivity giving boost to local entrepreneurship in rural areas across the country.

Bharatnet Phase III bid received response from 21 bidders and total 187 bids were received for all 16 packages. The solo bidders include Polycab, HFCL and Sterlite whereas consortium bidders include Apar Industries, Assam Networks, Bharat Electronics Ltd, Dilip Buildcon Ltd, Dinesh Eng Ltd, EMAP Analysis and Planning, GR Infraprojects, Hetvi Construction, ITI Limited, LC Infraprojects, Megha Engineering, NCC Limited, Pace Digiteck Infra Ltd, Power Mech Projects, Pratap Technocrats, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd, TCIL and Vindhya Telelinks. The consortium’s formed for the Bharatnet Phase III bid submissions will bring several surprises as the members of consortium are revealed. The bidders are highly optimistic about the BharatNet-III project opportunity, and believe themselves to be well-positioned to address the tender scope. BharatNet