BharatNet Project

About BharatNet Project:

• It is one of the biggest rural telecom projects in the world.
• It is implemented in a phased manner to all Gram Panchayats in the country to provide non-discriminatory access to broadband connectivity to all the telecom service providers.
• Objective: To enable access providers like mobile operators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Cable TV operators, and content providers to launch various services such as applications like e-health, e-education and e-governance in rural and remote India.
• The project was approved in 2011.
• It is being executed by a Special Purpose Vehicle namely Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), which was incorporated in 2012 under the Indian Companies Act 1956.
• The Telecom Commission approved the implementation of the project in three phases.
• BharatNet Phase-I:
  • It was approved in 2011 the project for the creation of the National Optical Fibre Network (now BharatNet) to provide broadband connectivity at the Gram Panchayat (GP) level by connecting block headquarters to GPs by using existing fibre of Central Public Sector Undertakings such as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited and RailTel Corporation of India Limited and laying incremental fibre to bridge the connectivity gap up to the GPs.
• BharatNet Phase-II
  • It was approved in 2017, which integrates the implementation experience of Phase-I of the project and aligns it with the vision of Digital India.
  • The modified strategy provides an optimal mix of media (OFC, Radio and satellite) to connect Gram Panchayats (GPs).
  • Under Phase II, GPs are to be connected through multiple implementing models like the State-led Model, Private Sector Model and CPSU Model, along with last-mile connectivity in GPs through Wi-Fi or any other suitable broadband technology.
• In the third phase from 2019 to 2023, a state-of-the-art, future-proof network, including fibre between districts and blocks, with ring topology to provide redundancy would be created.