Optical fibre connectivity for all Bengal villages in 3 years: Centre
Times of India | 13 August 2026
Kolkata: Bengal’s rural broadband expansion is set to get a boost after the state govt notified the Telecommunications Right of Way (RoW) Rules, 2024, paving the way for faster telecom infrastructure rollout and implementation of the Amended BharatNet Programme (ABP). The move is expected to ensure optical fibre connectivity to all villages in the state within three years, the Centre said.
In a written reply to Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya, minister of state for communications and rural development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said the state notified the rules on May 15, 2026.
He said 2,767 of the state’s 3,340 gram panchayats have already been connected under BharatNet Phases I and II.
Under the ABP, approved under the Design, Build, Operate and Maintain (DBOM) model, the existing BharatNet network will be upgraded while broadband connectivity will also be extended to non-GP villages on demand. “The construction phase is three years from the date of signing the agreement with the Project Implementing Agency,” the minister said.
Sekhar added that the notification of the RoW rules by the state govt, along with with the Department of Telecommunications declaring BharatNet a special project under the rules, is expected to accelerate the rollout.