Bharat-Net is the world's largest rural broadband project, designed to bring high-speed internet to rural and remote areas of India. The project was launched by the Ministry of Communications to provide broadband connectivity to more than 250,000 Gram Panchayats while enabling service delivery in the fields of e-health, e-education, and e-governance. Managed by the Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), this project is foundational for the Government's Digital India initiative.
Read More: What Is Digital India's Mission?
What Is Bharat Net?
BharatNet is a central public sector project run by Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL), under the aegis of the Ministry of Communications. The project brings with it a vision of broadband connectivity at speeds of not less than 100 Mbps to all 250,000 Gram Panchayats, covering 625,000 villages across India.
Overview
| Key Features | Details |
|---|
| Launched | October 25, 2011. |
| Implemented By | Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL) |
| Coverage | 250,000 Gram Panchayats, over 625,000 villages |
| Technology | Optical Fibre Cable (OFC), Wi-Fi Hotspots, Fibre-To-The-Home (FTTH) |
| Services Offered | E-health, E-education, E-governance, bandwidth and dark fibre services |
| Completion Target | 2023 for full connectivity across all Gram Panchayats |
Objective
The overarching objective of BharatNet is to ensure high-speed broadband access for everyone in rural areas, due to critical services that will be available for all online. It targets, therefore, the digital development of remote and rural areas followed by other developed nations in increasing digital literacy and improving governance, and living standards within rural India.
Features
The BharatNet project offers transformative features to bridge the digital divide in rural India. These features focus on enhancing connectivity, affordability, and access to essential services like education and healthcare, ensuring that even the remotest regions are connected to the digital ecosystem.
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Enhanced Connectivity: Provides reliable high-speed internet to rural areas, utilising optical fibre networks.
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Affordability: Connectivity will be offered at affordable rates to promote widespread internet access.
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Transparency: This will improve service delivery in government schemes and online services.
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Broadband Access for All: Ensures broadband for households in remote areas.
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Education: Provides online education to rural students.
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Health: E-health services provide access to medical consultations and resources.
Services Under The BharatNet Project
BharatNet is a middle-mile network that connects service providers and enables them to provide their services to rural areas.
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Bandwidth Service: It provides affordable bandwidth to government agencies and telecom service providers for extending services from blocks to Gram Panchayats (GPs).
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Dark Fibre Service: This service provides dark fibre at an affordable tariff so that it can be used to extend reach and connectivity in rural areas.
Read More: Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyaan
How is BharatNet Being Implemented?
The BharatNet project is being rolled out in phases, with funding from the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). It’s designed to connect all Gram Panchayats with high-speed internet using optical fibre and last-mile connectivity solutions like Wi-Fi hotspots.
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Phase I: Completed by December 2017, providing optical fibre cable connectivity to about 100,000 Gram Panchayats.
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Phase II: Connecting the remaining 150,000 Gram Panchayats, completed by March 2023, including last-mile Wi-Fi connectivity.
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Phase III: From 2019-2023 this phase will establish a future-proof network using a public-private partnership model.
Challenges To The BharatNet Project
While BharatNet is ambitious in its goal to provide universal broadband connectivity, it faces significant challenges. These include delays in implementation, technical hurdles, and competition from private players, which have impacted its reach and effectiveness.
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Slow Implementation: The slow progress of work on the project has left an untold number of villages still waiting for broadband connections.
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Infrastructure Shortages: Bad terrain and the absence of proper roads make laying optical fibre cables difficult.
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Technical Problems: Network downtime, signal quality issues and bandwidth limitations all culminate in service quality.
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Competition from Private Operators: Some telecom operators such as Jio and Airtel have already set up their networks in some parts of rural areas, creating more competition for BharatNet.
Bharat Net Project – Current Status
As of May 2024, BharatNet has achieved notable milestones, including connecting Gram Panchayats and laying extensive optical fibre networks. These developments mark significant progress in bringing high-speed internet to rural India.
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Connected Gram Panchayats: 212,778 Gram Panchayats are service-ready.
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Optical fibre: 686,963 km of optical fibre cable is laid.
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Ventures of FTTH: Established 1,022,018 fibre-to-the-home connections.
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Wi-Fi Hotspots: Installed 104,574 Wi-Fi hotspots covering last-mile connectivity in India.
Read More: Digital India Programme: National e-Vidhan Application (NeVA)
Future Prospect
The future of BharatNet depends on overcoming challenges and improving service delivery. Key focus areas for the project’s success include:
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Expediting Implementation: Correcting delays through streamlining infrastructure deployment and better coordination with all stakeholders.
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Service Quality: There has to be a combined focus on bandwidth enhancement and minimal downtime too to attract and retain users.
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Funding Perspective: Ensure a continuous stream of funds and efficient management from either the government, the selected private operator or a consortium has to keep expansion and maintenance in mind.
Conclusion
BharatNet is a transformative project aimed at bridging the digital divide between urban and rural India. While it has faced challenges, the project's achievements thus far are promising. With continued focus on infrastructure, service quality, and timely execution, BharatNet has the potential to make rural India digitally empowered, supporting government schemes and offering opportunities for education, healthcare, and economic development.
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