A total of 21 bidders have submitted their bids under BharatNet phase III program for Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh (East and West), Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast region- I and II, and others.
These include Telecommunications Consultants of India Limited (TCIL), ITI Limited, and Pratap Technocrats. Companies including Polycab, STL and HFCL have presented solo bids while 18 bidders, including G R Infraprojects, Vindhya Telelinks, Pace Digitek Infra Private Limited, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), Bharat Electronics Limited, Megha Engineering, and others, have taken a consortium route.
In addition, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will conduct further technical evaluation of the bids.
The tender has been divided into 16 packages and has a three-tier structure, comprising internet leased line bandwidth which will be provided by BSNL at 7,269 blocks, middle-mile connectivity where private players will operate and maintain the project for ten years, and the last-mile connectivity through the Udyami model.
