BharatNet Project: Tender invited for PPP; to cover 3.61 lakh villages in 16 states- Check details

Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), on behalf of Department of Telecommunication, has invited global tender for the development (creation, upgradation, operation and maintenance and utilisation) of BharatNet through Public Private Partnership model in 9 separate packages across 16 states for a concession period of 30 years.

Under this project, the government will provide a maximum grant of Rs 19041 crore as Viability Gap Funding.

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As per the information provided, the project will cover an estimated 3.61 lakh villages (including Gram Panchayats) across Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

The existing BharatNet was connecting all the Gram Panchayats (GPs) of the country by laying of OFC (primarily) between Block and GPs. The scope of BharatNet has now been enhanced to connect all the Inhabited Villages of the country, approx. 6.43 lakhs (inclusive of GPs).

The scope of work under BharatNet PPP Project includes:

1. Connecting the remaining unconnected GPs under BharatNet project (Phase 1 and Phase 2) and all the inhabited Villages beyond the GPs.

2. Upgradation of the existing BharatNet Network from Linear to Ring topology.

3. Operation and maintenance (O&M) and utilisation of the existing as well as the newly deployed network.

The existing BharatNet network across these 16 States will become part of this project. Last Date of submission of Tender bid is August 24, 2021.

The project will be executed through a Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) concession on PPP framework. 

The idea is to harness private sector’s capability, capacity, and efficiency for O&M, utilization and revenue generation to make BharatNet more effective and accessible.

This would also serve the objective of BharatNet to have social inclusion, through effective delivery of government schemes and citizen centric services using broadband, and also to strengthen e- Governance, e -Education, Tele medicine, e- Banking etc.

BBNL is carrying out an open, competitive bidding process with single stage, two-part bidding (‘Qualification bid’ and ‘Financial Bid’) for the selection of the Bidder for awarding the Project. The bids for each of the package need to be submitted separately.

Tender documents will be available for downloading from 20.7.2021, 15.00 Hrs. from CPP portal www.etenders.gov.in. The document can also be viewed from BBNL website http://www.bbnl.nic.in.

Once awarded, the selected Bidder shall create a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), sign the agreement, achieve Financial Closure and undertake creation, upgradation, operation and maintenance and utilisation of BharatNet across the concession period.

The BharatNet infrastructure is a middle mile network that is presently leased to service providers for providing affordable high-speed broadband to rural population – individuals, households and institutions.