Latest news with #BharatNet
NDTV
a day ago
- Business
- NDTV
Explaining The BharatNet Vs Starlink Debate And What's At Stake
As India accelerates its ambition to become a digitally inclusive economy, a new debate is heating up - one that pits the government's homegrown BharatNet initiative against Elon Musk's Starlink, the satellite internet service of SpaceX, and Amazon's Kuiper. The question making the rounds on social media is: What happens to BharatNet if Starlink enters the Indian market at scale? Here's a detailed look at where the two stand. What Is BharatNet? Launched in 2011 as the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN), and later rebranded as BharatNet, the project aims to connect over 2.5 lakh gram panchayats (village councils) with high-speed broadband via optical fibre. It's a massive public infrastructure undertaking, backed by state and central government funds, and intended to act as the backbone for rural digitisation - from e-governance to telemedicine and online education. Unlike private players, BharatNet doesn't chase profits. Its aim is to democratise access to the internet and level the playing field between India's urban and rural landscapes. What Is Starlink? Starlink is SpaceX's satellite internet venture, offering high-speed broadband via low-earth orbit satellites. Instead of relying on towers or fibre cables, Starlink beams internet from space, bypassing terrestrial infrastructure entirely, relying on satellite communication. In remote or underserved areas, this can be a game-changer. The company already operates in over 60 countries and is positioning itself as a solution for areas that fibre can't easily reach. Elon Musk's company is set to begin operations in India within 12 months by offering internet speed of 600 to 700 Gbps, according to NDTV Profit quoting Department of Telecommunication sources. This initial beaming capacity will only support between 30,000 and 50,000 users at a time and in certain cities or built-up areas, but this will eventually expand to a staggering 3 Tbps, or terabytes per second, by 2027, DoT sources said, pending regulatory approval. Why The Debate Matters At its heart, the BharatNet vs Starlink debate isn't about which technology is superior - it's about who controls India's digital future. Starlink offers rapid deployment and global coverage. But its entry into India raises questions about: Data sovereignty Pricing regulation Revenue repatriation Fair competition with local infrastructure BharatNet, meanwhile, is Indian. Its architecture is designed to serve national priorities, not shareholder returns. Starlink has been trying to enter the Indian market since 2022, and was given a letter of intent by the government earlier this month. Both Airtel and Jio had opposed its entry. Can They Co-Exist? BharatNet and Starlink serve different needs and different terrains. While BharatNet is better suited for dense rural clusters and institutional connectivity, Starlink could help in extremely remote areas, disaster zones, and difficult terrain such as the Northeast, the Himalayas or islands like Lakshadweep. But the concern is this: If Starlink floods the market with cheaper, faster connections, it could undermine the BharatNet model - particularly the business viability of local service providers using BharatNet infrastructure. Several users on social media say that BharatNet should pivot towards a hybrid model - one that incorporates both fibre and satellite technologies. Though the Indian government has not said anything about this, some news outlets are claiming that the hybrid model is under consideration. While optical fibre can provide high-capacity, low-latency connections, satellite internet can be provided to gram panchayats in remote an hard-to-reach areas. The Risk of Digital Colonisation Allowing unregulated access to global satellite networks also opens the door to what several internet users and experts call "digital colonisation". The concern stems from Starlink's Africa plan, where it is providing high-speed internet from Nigeria to Congo. In a strong Substack piece, user Edward Shepherd said the colonisers are orbiting 550-km above the sea level, referring to the low-orbit satellites used by Starlink to provide a reliable internet connection. What India Gains from Supporting BharatNet The homegrown BharatNet is creating opportunities for village-level entrepreneurs, technicians and service providers. Further, the fibre is Indian, the management is Indian and so are the objectives. BharatNet also provides a long-term resilience since national control over digital infrastructure is vital in an era of cyber warfare and information geopolitics. Finally, BharatNet aligns with schemes like Digital India, Jan Dhan and Ayushman Bharat to bring services to the last mile.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Future hazy for BharatNet as Starlink, Kuiper eye rural India's connectivity
Mumbai: India's ambitious BharatNet project, seeking to link the hinterland with fibre-based broadband, now faces a question mark over relevance in the face of satellite communications, as Elon Musk-owned Starlink and Amazon's Kuiper are expected to provide the crucial missing piece in the rural connectivity jigsaw.'Questions are being raised if the model of BharatNet could be tweaked to include satcom as a means besides fibre,' one person aware of the line of thinking at BharatNet fibre companies say BharatNet can only be driven by that mode of connecting rural homes, satcom company Hughes indicated it could be a hybrid model in the future, urging the government to consider subsidies for both technologies. The advent of satcom, coupled with the telcos' focus on growing wireless home connections, have also led to some doubts whether fibre deployment in the country could slow down. But fibre cable companies like Sterlite Technologies and Microscan have countered that in an underpenetrated market like India, fibre connectivity has immense headroom for deployment in data centres, telecom towers, etc. Pranav Roach, president of Hughes Network Systems India, said that both satellite communication and fiber connectivity possess unique advantages, and can co-exist as both are essential "The government could reconsider its approach to capital expenditure deployment and subsidies for both technologies. For example, in remote or underserved areas with lower data requirements, subsidizing the cost of satcom equipment could be a beneficial strategy,' Roach said. According to Avendus Capital, data centres alone will unlock a fibre demand of $10 billion capital investment over next few years. Even telecom tower fiberisation in India is low at 44%. The opportunity size of fiberizing over half a million towers coupled with building requisite backhaul routes would entice a capital outlay of over $30 billion in the next decade, it said. Fiber Alone? 'We are absolutely convinced that BharatNet project will be based on fiber,' said Ankit Agarwal, managing director at Sterlite Technologies , which has been awarded Rs 2600 crore tender to deploy optical fibre in Jammu & Kashmir under the ongoing third phase of BharatNet totalling Rs 60,000 crore. He reaffirmed that there are no delays or changes in BharatNet timelines. 'There may be some pockets, 1-2% of the gram panchayats which are not financially viable to connect through optical fiber or just physically not viable. There may be some satellites deployed. But, given the capability of speeds, cost, latency, we believe, fiber will remain the key technology going forward,' he said. Prateek Jhawar, MD and Head - Infrastructure and Real Assets Investment Banking, Avendus Capital echoed the sentiment. 'We believe the future holds a hybrid, densely knit fibre network complemented by large satcom deployments…,' he said. Satellite connectivity is susceptible to natural interferences like weather conditions (e.g. dense clouds, rains, storms etc.) and peak time congestion, he added. Leading satcom operators like OneWeb, Starlink and Hughes offer internet speeds ranging from 50-500 Mbps whereas terrestrial networks can speed upto 1Gbps, data from JM Financial showed. Mumbai-based Fibre infrastructure company Microscan said that BharatNet intends to connect government Zilla Parishads and post offices, which will not be possible on satcom. 'BharatNet intends to provide 100 Mbps at a very affordable monthly rate around Rs 300 with very less one time cost. Whereas satcom broadband will be useful in forests, ships, mines, aircrafts and rural areas where 4G/5G and fiber broadband is still a challenge,' said Sandeep Donde, MD & CEO, Microscan. Infact, the company views satcom as an opportunity as they will require a huge fiber network with high bandwidth capacity to connect their base stations to the data centres across India which will be their international gateways, Donde explained.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
DoT seeks ISPs to use BharatNet infrastructure to bridge digital divide
NEW DELHI: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has urged the country's internet service provider (ISP) industry to increase the utilisation of the BharatNet infrastructure to bridge the digital divide in India. 'We at DBN (Digital Bharat Nidhi) are implementing the amended BharatNet project with an outlay of nearly ₹1.5 lakh crore, which aims to connect nearly 2.6 lakh gram panchayats. I feel that it is a great opportunity for various stakeholders, including ISPs, to be part of this huge exercise taken by the government of India to bridge the digital divide,' Niraj Verma, administrator, DBN, said Tuesday at an industry conference. BharatNet, a rural telecom connectivity project, is aimed at providing non-discriminatory access to broadband connectivity to all telecom operators, including ISPs, with the objective to connect a total of 6.5 lakh villages. However, the ambitious digital connectivity has been facing several execution-related challenges despite multiple extensions. "We have tried twice, Bharat Net Phase 1 and Phase 2, and we did not succeed to that extent due to various reasons. In Phase 1, we tried to connect 1.2 lakh villages, and then in Phase 2, tenders were awarded for eight states. The results had been mixed."Verma added. Under the BharatNet Phase 3, he said tenders have been awarded in 12 packages, including in major states such as Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, and West Bengal. State-controlled Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has previously awarded contracts to Polycab , ITI Limited , Sterlite Technologies (STL), Telecommunications Consultants of India Limited (TCIL), and Pratap Technocrats, among others, under multiple packages of the BharatNet Phase 3 programme. Initially envisioned in 2011 under the UPA-II regime as the National Optical Fibre Network (NOFN), it was rebranded as BharatNet in 2015. Read More | Controversies surface over BSNL's ₹1.39 lakh crore BharatNet 3 programme In July 2022, the Cabinet approved the merger of Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) with BSNL to accelerate project rollout. In August 2023, the Centre approved the Amended BharatNet Programme (ABP) to expand fibre connectivity to the remaining 3.8 lakh non-Gram Panchayat villages on a demand basis. The top official said that nearly 2.12 lakh villages are service-ready today, cautioning that only 50,000 gram panchayats have an uptime of over 98% under BharatNet. 'We have now changed our focus from implementing the project to utilisation of the network and in amended BharatNet, it is a little different in the sense that we are giving the states as packages to EPC contractors, and we have a referee which is in the form of independent engineers,' Verma said. 'The idea is to get the services from this EPC contractor and a network with 98% uptime.' He added that a stable network offers 'exciting opportunities' to wireline ISPs, who can lease bandwidth or dark fiber to provide backhaul for mobile towers, or deliver broadband services and generate a new revenue model. 'We are engaging BharatNet Udyamis (entrepreneurs) for providing the connections, and anyone, including ISPs, can participate as BNUs under BSNL. ISPs can also have a look at the network that will come up and how they would like to provide services. We are ready to look at any alternate model where our utilisation goes up,' the official said. Under BharatNet, as of December 2024, 6,92,428 km of Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) has been laid and 2,09,281 gram panchayats (GPs) are service-ready on OFC. In addition, 5,032 GPs have been connected over satellite media, thus, a total of 2,14,313 GPs are service-ready, the Ministry of Communications said last year.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Tamil Nadu to roll out high-speed internet for rural households under 'BharatNet' scheme
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government is set to launch an ambitious initiative to provide high-speed internet access to all rural households in the state, targeting one crore homes per year. The scheme is being implemented under the Central government's ' BharatNet ' project, aimed at bridging the digital divide across rural India. In Tamil Nadu, the project is spearheaded by the Tamil Nadu FiberNet Corporation Ltd ( TANFINET ). High-speed internet connectivity through optical fibre cables is being established in 12,525 gram panchayats across the state. The groundwork began in 2018 and has now reached its final phase. So far, optical fibre cables have been laid over a distance of nearly 55,000 kilometres, covering 11,800 villages. Some delays were encountered in certain locations, particularly in forest regions, due to challenges in obtaining clearances and executing cable-laying operations. However, the government has announced that all pending work is expected to be completed by next month. Currently, notices inviting applications for internet service providers in around 4,000 villages have been published on the official TANFINET website. Similar notices for an additional 4,000 villages are set to be released in the coming days, with the remainder to follow soon after. The rollout of actual internet connections is scheduled to begin next month. The government has set a bold target of connecting one crore rural households with high-speed internet within this year. To ensure affordability and wide adoption, internet plans are being tailored to meet both household and business needs. For homes, unlimited internet at 20 Mbps will be offered at a base price of Rs 199 per month. Higher-tier plans of Rs 399 and Rs 499 will provide increased speeds. For businesses, two initial plans are available, Rs 899 and Rs 1,199, with enhanced bandwidth. Officials have noted that all plans are subject to change based on government discretion and consumer demand. With this digital push, Tamil Nadu aims to enhance rural connectivity , empower digital learning, and boost economic activity through improved internet access.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Centre invests ₹1.5 lakh crore in northeast India's physical, digital infra: Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani
NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi government has invested ₹1.5 lakh crore over the past 10 years in northeast India's physical and digital infrastructure under the ' Act East Policy ', Minister of State for Communications Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said on Friday. 'Over ₹1.5 lakh crore has been invested across digital and physical infrastructure in the region. Out of this ₹50,000 crore has gone specifically into BharatNet and the Digital North East Vision,' Pemmasani said in his keynote address at the Rising Northeast Investors Summit 2025 event. The minister said that more than 90% of northeast India is now covered by 4G networks, while 80% of the rural households in the region are digitally connected via optical fibre cable. 'Modern IT parks are operational in Guwahati, Shillong, and Agartala, catalysing job creation and innovation. Hyperscale data centres, including Asia's largest, will be set up in Assam,' Pemmasani said. The minister recalled that the government is providing a much-needed policy support, beyond infrastructure, to help industry establish in this region and tap the local talent pool. 'It has launched ambitious programs such as Digital India , Bharatnet, Startup India, National AI Strategy, 5G rollout to create a launchpad for industry in the region,' Pemmasani said. 'This synergy of centre-state collaboration, a hallmark of governance since 2014, is transforming the NER (northeast region) into a digital powerhouse,' the minister added, saying that the region is witnessing the convergence of policy, infrastructure and talent. According to Pemmasani, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G is no longer theoretical in the Northeast, and the technologies are being deployed to solve real-life issues. The minister said that in Andhra Pradesh, a 5G telemedicine network is facilitating real-time consultationsm, while in Tripura, the 'Bhashini' initiative is making governance accessible in 22 languages through real-time AI translation Pemmasani stated optimistically that more can be done with AI, such as the digitisation of all government services, including land records, while 5G can support the delivery of global resources and virtual laboratories to students. 'At the same time, Kaziranga and Sikkim can offer immersive AR experiences, showcasing our beauty to millions through virtual tour,' he added. Currently, India's top telecom incumbents -- Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel -- provide a nationwide coverage of fifth-generation (5G) networks. Earlier in the day, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) Chairman & Managing Director Mukesh Ambani said at the event that Reliance Jio has already covered 90% of the population with over 5 million 5G subscribers in northeast India, and will double the number this year. 'Jio's priority will be to bring the revolutionary power of Artificial Intelligence to all schools, hospitals, enterprises and homes. When talent meets technology and competence meets connectivity, our North-East will surge ahead,' Ambani said, adding that Reliance has invested around ₹30,000 crore in the region in the past 40 years. The oil-to-telecoms conglomerate, in the next five years, will more than double its investments in the northeast, with a target of ₹75,000 crore.
