ITI Limited, India’s first PSU established after independence and a leading telecom manufacturing enterprise, has commenced the establishment of the State Network Operations Center (S-NOC) for the BharatNet Phase-III Project in Solan, Himachal Pradesh, in collaboration with BSNL.

The S-NOC will serve as a centralized hub to oversee and manage the performance, security, and availability of the network infrastructure for the project, ensuring efficient service delivery. This marks a critical step in the rollout of the BharatNet Phase-III initiative aimed at strengthening digital connectivity in rural India.

In November 2024, ITI Limited emerged as the lowest bidder (L1) for BharatNet Phase-III in Package 8 (Himachal Pradesh) and Package 9 (West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands), securing orders worth ?5,050 crore. The project will be executed under a Design, Build, Operate, and Maintain (DBOM) model and is funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) of the Government of India. It aims to develop the middle mile network to link gram panchayats to the national broadband grid.

The launch of the S-NOC was marked by a formal event at the BSNL office in Solan, attended by Mr. Rajesh Rai, Chairman and Managing Director of ITI Limited, and Mr. Anil Kumar Gupta, CGM of BSNL. Also present were Mr. Rajeev Srivastava (Director-Finance, ITI Limited), Mrs. Namita (GM, ITI Limited), Mr. Jaspal Singh (Senior GM, BSNL), and other senior officials from both organizations.

The BharatNet Phase-III Project will connect 3,615 gram panchayats to 91 block headquarters in Himachal Pradesh through high-speed 10 Gbps bandwidth, further linking them to BSNL’s IP-MPLS Ring Network. This infrastructure will extend internet connectivity to over 15,500 villages, with approximately 20,000 kilometers of optical fiber cable (OFC) to be laid across the state.

Highlighting the significance of the project, Mr. Rajesh Rai said, “We are proud to launch the S-NOC in partnership with BSNL, as part of our shared commitment to rural digital empowerment. Despite the geographical challenges of Himachal Pradesh, we are confident in our ability to complete this project within the stipulated timeline. Once operational, this initiative will revolutionize digital access across the state—enhancing education, healthcare, business opportunities, and e-governance through high-speed internet services.”