HFCL Limited has secured an Advance Work Order valued at approximately ₹2,501.30 crore from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for the BharatNet Phase III project in Punjab. Announced on January 16, 2025, the contract involves designing, building, operating, and maintaining the middle-mile network within the Punjab Telecom Circle.
At 11:47 am today, HFCL’s shares were trading at ₹102.74, up by ₹0.40 or 0.39% on the NSE. The project will follow a Design Build Operate and Maintain (DBOM) model, with a three-year construction phase followed by a 10-year maintenance contract. The total order includes a capital expenditure of ₹1,244.61 crore and operational expenditure of ₹1,256.70 crore, covering the upkeep of both new and existing networks.
This initiative forms part of BharatNet Phase III, aimed at connecting 640,000 Indian villages with high-speed internet. It seeks to deliver a minimum bandwidth of 100 Mbps to more than 250,000 gram panchayats, advancing the government’s Digital India mission to enhance rural connectivity.
Under the maintenance contract, charges are set at 5.5% of capital expenditure per annum for the first five years, increasing to 6.5% in the subsequent five years. This milestone highlights significant progress in bridging the digital divide across India’s rural and underserved areas.
