Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the revised implementation strategy of BharatNet Through public-private partnership in 16 states of the country. The states that come under the cabinet’s approval today are Kerala, Karnataka, Rajasthan Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
An estimated 3.61 lakh villages including gram panchayats will be covered. The estimated maximum Viability Gap funding sanctioned for the PPP model is Rs 19,041 crore.
BharatNet will now extend to all the inhabited villages beyond the Gram Panchayats (GPs) in the said states. The revised strategy also includes creation, upgradation, operation, maintenance and use of BharatNet by the concessionaire, who will be selected through a competitive international bidding process.
The PPP model will leverage the efficiencies of the private sector for operation, maintenance, utilization and revenue generation and is expected to result in faster roll out of BharatNet.
“The selected concessionaire (private sector partner) is expected to provide reliable, high-speed broadband services as per a pre-defined Service Level Agreement (SLA). Expanding the reach of BharatNet to all inhabited villages with reliable, quality, high-speed broadband will enable better access to e-services offered by various central and state government agencies,” the government said.
It is expected that revenue will be generated from various sources which include proliferation of broadband connections for individuals and institutions, sale of dark fiber, fiberization of mobile towers, e-commerce etc.
.