State-run Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) plans to independently and competitively bid for the upcoming BharatNet III initiative, according to a senior official. “TCIL will be bidding on the upcoming BharatNet project, and we plan to bid for the majority of packages,” said Sanjeev Kumar, Chairman of TCIL. He noted that the public sector company intends to bid for 6-7 packages, in accordance with the eligibility criteria. The tender, divided into 16 packages, has a new deadline for bid submission on August 5, 2024. Earlier this year, the Indian government launched the ₹65,000 crore BharatNet III program, requiring participating companies to meet an average revenue criterion, which was later relaxed in May following industry concerns.
Kumar indicated that TCIL might also collaborate with partners to enhance its offerings. The company has an average three-year revenue of approximately ₹2,000 crore. This tender is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious ₹1.39 lakh crore BharatNet initiative, aimed at providing last-mile connectivity, upgrading 164,000 gram panchayats, and connecting an additional 47,000 gram panchayats under a new model. BharatNet Phase-3 features a three-tier structure: internet leased line bandwidth provided by BSNL at 7,269 blocks, middle-mile connectivity managed by private players for ten years, and last-mile connectivity through the Udyami model.
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In 2017, the Cabinet approved ₹42,068 crore for BharatNet’s Phase-1 and Phase-2 projects. In 2021, it allocated ₹19,041 crore in viability gap funding (VGF) for the project under the public-private partnership (PPP) model, which did not attract private companies. Kumar also mentioned that once the 4G service rollout by Tejas is successfully integrated into Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) network, TCIL would promote the use of this commercially deployed network in international markets.
