Broadband contract to expire in July, search for replacement futile

Panaji: Even as the state searches for a modern replacement for the Goa Broadband Network project (GBBN), the contract with United Telecoms Limited (UTL), which drives the GBBN project, is set to end in a week.
The IT department had extended the contract for the public private partnership (PPP) project till July 31.
In the long term, the state government hopes to replace GBBN with BharatNet to connect the village panchayats and over 200 government offices. Goa’s department of information and technology (DoIT) has sought Rs 327.7 crore from the Centre’s department of telecommunications (DoT) to bring the nationwide optical fibre network to Goa.
“The current GBBN network has reached end-of-life and is in the exit phase, as such the department is exploring a suitable option as a replacement,” said the IT minister Rohan Khaunte.
The government of Goa had implemented GBBN on PPP model without transfer of any assets to the government at the end of the 10-year contract period through state government funds. At present, the contract is extended till July 31, 2022.
In 2020, the state government had appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to analyse the exit strategy for GBBN and to find a way forward after the completion of the 10-year project. Unable to find a new technology partner, DoIT granted a one-year extension to UTL till July 2021, and then once again extended it to July 31, 2022.
With no replacement found and BharatNet yet to take-off, the state government will be forced to renew the contract with UTL even though the agency has failed to meet the service level agreements, while the infrastructure is outdated, said sources.
DoIT expected to begin the formal process for the Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BharatNet) project by 2023 with a 2025 target for actual implementation.
GBBN links 186 village panchayats, several 100 government and aided schools and over 200 government offices across the state through an intranet optic fibre cable network.
The IT department has sought Rs 327.7 crore from the Centre’s department of telecommunications to bring the nationwide optical fibre network to Goa