GTPL Hathway, Polycab wins Rs 1,246 cr order in Gujarat

Aniruddhasinhji Jadeja

GTPL Hathway, the Gujarat-based subsidiary of Hathway Datacom, said it, along with Polycab Wires, has won a Rs 1,245.77 cr order to connect 3,767 gram panchayats as part of the BharatNet project of the central government.

The companies have to lay 17,000 kms of fiber as part of the contract.

The order is for part of Saurashtra region in Gujarat.

GTPL is by far the biggest cable and wired broadband operator in the state. It has around 3 lakh broadband subscribers, mostly in Gujarat, and broadband operations in 200 cities.

“Under the project, GTPL will connect 3,767 GPs (Gram Panchayat, Package B, Saurashtra region) by implementing end‐to‐end Optic Fibre Cable and digital infrastructure at Centralized network operations centre of Gandhinagar in Gujarat,” it said.

Using the infrastructure created by the two companies, each gram panchayat will be connected at a speed of 1 Gbps.

They also have to provide an additional 12-core fibre for future capacity and monetization.

“We will use the modern and scalable GPON technology for sustainable stability,” it said.

The contract value includes both the cost of the capital equipment, labor as well as 3 years of operations & maintenance.

The contract also includes further option of an extension of additional 4 Years of O&M mandate at additional value, it said.

“With a team strength of more than 3500 including an on‐ground team of 1500, GTPL is uniquely positioned to create the necessary infrastructure with inhouse capabilities and experience. Together with our consortium partner Polycab Wires, we are very confident to complete the project in a stipulated timeframe of 1 year,” said Managing Director and co-promoter Anirudhsinh Jadeja.

As of September, Hathway Cable & Datacom, which is in the process of being acquired by Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries, owned 37.3% in GTPL Hathway.