The NOFN project is likely to miss its revised deadline

The National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) project is likely to miss revised rollout targets with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) and RailTel failing to award contracts worth Rs 60 billion for laying cable and trenching for the first phase of the project.

The government has mandated BSNL, PGCIL and RailTel to carry out the process of laying cables and trenching in 70:15:15 ratios. The NOFN project has already been delayed by over two years on account of several procedural delays and the country?s difficult terrain. Following these delays, earlier, the Department of Telecommunications had sought the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure (CCI) to implement the pan-India broadband rollout project in three phases, starting with making provisions for high-speed broadband connections in 1,00,000 gram panchayats at an investment of over Rs 110 billion by March 2014.

DoT has stated that further delays in executing the NOFN project could derail the government?s pan-India broadband penetration target of 175 million and 600 million subscribers by 2017 and 2020, respectively.