Sharad Singh, Vice President, National Highways Logistics Management Limited
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is working towards developing a nationwide network of highways, embedded with optical fibre cable (OFC) infrastructure. This initiative aligns with the broader vision of creating a robust utility corridor that supports digital initiatives such as e-Kranti. The objective is to integrate digital connectivity seamlessly with the transportation infrastructure, ensuring long-term usability and minimal disruption.
The existing utility corridors, have become congested with various operators laying cables without uniform coordination. Identifying cables has become increasingly difficult and in certain areas.
However, as road widening projects are initiated, existing networks face potential destruction. Although permissions are granted for specific alignments, service providers often deviate, complicating maintenance and upgrades. Unauthorised aerial deployments on NHAI poles have further aggravated the issue.
To avoid these complications, NHAI has initiated a structured plan under the National Broadband Mission. The approach focuses on creating a 3 metre-wide utility corridor integrated across highways, which will serve as a permanent solution for multiple utilities. The middle road section is reserved for camera networks used for traffic monitoring, as per Indian Road Congress guidelines, which do not permit fibre networks in the central median.
Meanwhile, two pilot corridors were identified – one from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, which is 512 km and the other from Delhi to Mumbai, which is 1,367 km long. Although these were intended to be completed in a year, execution delays occurred due to unauthorised utilities in brownfield areas and delayed compensation transfers by state governments. In some instances, government agencies have laid cables outside the designated corridor.
Infrastructure design and specifications
NHAI’s design includes six ducts along the corridor – three of 40/33 mm diameter and three of 63/50 mm diameter. The 40/33 mm ducts carry 96-core dark fibre, offering 144 fibre pairs for leasing purposes.
Telco rooms are being set up, equipped with remote fibre monitoring systems (RFMSs), power back up, CCTV rooms and L2 switches.
A network operation centre is established per corridor for 24×7 monitoring and GIS-based mapping of every fibre inch. All activities are recorded in the RFMS to ensure end-to-end visibility and traceability of the infrastructure.
Moreover, the service level agreement (SLA) ensures 99.97 per cent availability across the entire route. The mean time to restore is capped at three hours. This stringent SLA reflects the high-access control environment on highways, designed to prevent even animals from crossing, thus minimising the risk of unplanned disruptions. The OFC operations and maintenance (O&M) team and highway O&M team work together to ensure network resilience.
Each duct is made of high-density poly ethylene (HDPE), permanently lubricated and includes hauling ropes. The layout includes pre cast manholes and handholes to facilitate regular maintenance. Additional technical arrangements such as signal amplification are handled through telco rooms.
Utilisation strategy
The primary purpose of this OFC infrastructure is commercial leasing. The vision emphasises revenue generation and achievement of a positive return on investment. While some usage will support internal digitalisation needs (for example, surveillance), the main goal remains commercial monetisation.
Although efforts were made to integrate utilities such as power and gas, misalignment of routes and high costs, particularly for underground power, have limited their inclusion.
Global lessons
In Toronto, Rogers’ restricted model in managing subway mobile access led to government intervention. In contrast, Montreal saw a collaborative model, which enabled shared infrastructure from the start. These cases underscore the need for a universal and inclusive approach to infrastructure planning in India.
The way forward
The broader plan includes 23 OFC rings across India’s major cities, covering a total of 25,577 km. As of now, detailed project reports (DPRs) for 4,000 km have been completed. The target for the current fiscal year is to finish those 4,000 km, with the remaining km to be executed next year. NHAI plans to complete 1,900 km of OFC infrastructure in Phase 1 and develop 20,000 km of dark fibre infrastructure by financial year 2026-27. This initiative is central to building a digital transport backbone across India. Collaboration with the Department of Telecommunications and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India remains critical to realising this vision and ensuring that the infrastructure is scalable, shareable and future-proof.
Based on a presentation by Sharad Singh, Vice President, National Highways Logistics Management Limited
