Polycab India has signed a significant contract worth Rs 6,447.54 crore with Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) to act as the project implementation agency (PIA) for the BharatNet project in Karnataka, Goa, and Puducherry.

This agreement, under Package 4 of the Amended BharatNet Programme, encompasses the design, supply, construction, installation, upgradation, operation, and maintenance of the middle-mile digital infrastructure in the three telecom circles.

The project budget includes Rs 3,741.92 crore for capital expenditure (capex), Rs 2,245.15 crore for operating expenses (opex) on the newly built network, and Rs 460.47 crore for opex related to the existing infrastructure. The construction phase is scheduled to be completed within three years, after which Polycab will handle operations and maintenance for ten years. Maintenance costs are pegged at 5.5 percent of capex annually for the first five years and 6.5 percent for the subsequent five years.