ITI Ltd commences work on S-NOC for BharatNet phase-III in Himachal Pradesh

New Delhi: ITI Limited, India’s first Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) post-independence and a premier telecom manufacturing enterprise, has commenced the groundwork for the State Network Operations Center (S-NOC) for the BharatNet Phase-III Project at Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The project is being implemented in coordination with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).

PSU Watch is now on Whatsapp Channels. Click here to join

The S-NOC will serve as a centralized facility from which ITI Limited will monitor, manage, and secure the network infrastructure of the BharatNet Phase-III project in the state, ensuring high service quality and performance. This initiative is a key component in the government's ongoing effort to enhance digital infrastructure across rural India.

In November 2024, ITI Limited emerged as the lowest bidder (L1) for two key packages under the BharatNet Phase-III Project—Package No. 8 in Himachal Pradesh and Package No. 9 in West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The combined order value for these packages stands at Rs 5,050 crore. The project is being executed under the Design, Build, Operate, and Maintain (DBOM) model and is funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), Government of India.

The official commencement of the S-NOC operations took place at the BSNL office in Solan, where ITI Limited's Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Rajesh Rai and BSNL Chief General Manager Anil Kumar Gupta jointly initiated the project in the presence of senior officials. Among the attendees were ITI Limited's Director (Finance) Rajeev Srivastava; ITI Limited's General Manager Namita; and BSNL's Senior GM Jaspal Singh.

Under the BharatNet Phase-III initiative in Himachal Pradesh, ITI Limited will connect 3,615 gram panchayats to 91 block headquarters using 10 Gbps bandwidth, which will further be linked to BSNL's IP-MPLS Ring Network. The project will cover 15,538 villages across the state, with the deployment of approximately 20,000 kilometers of optical fiber cable (OFC).

The S-NOC in Solan will monitor the connectivity of all gram panchayats in Himachal Pradesh and play a vital role in extending last-mile connectivity to consumers, thus advancing the government's goal of rural digital empowerment.

Commenting on the development, ITI Ltd CMD Rai said, “We are very glad to initiate this S-NOC in partnership with BSNL. This project is a significant step towards digital connectivity and rural empowerment in Himachal Pradesh, which will assist in providing high-speed broadband services in rural areas. Himachal Pradesh is a geographically challenging terrain, but we are confident of implementing this project within the scheduled timeframe. Upon completion, this project will redefine digital access in the state, enabling better education, healthcare, business opportunities, and e-governance at the grassroots level.”

The BharatNet Phase-III project is part of the Government of India’s ambitious digital inclusion mission, aimed at bridging the rural-urban digital divide and fostering inclusive growth through robust telecom infrastructure.

(PSU Watch– India's Business News centre that places the spotlight on PSUs, Bureaucracy, Defence and Public Policy is now on Google News. Click here to follow. Also, join PSU Watch Channel in your Telegram. You may also follow us on Twitter here and stay updated.)