Pankaj Malik, CEO & Director, Invenia – STL Networks in conversation with our Editor- Saurabh Sinha
Bharat Broadband Network Limited (BBNL)-led BharatNet Phase III represents the next stage of India’s ambitious rural digital connectivity program aimed at providing high-speed broadband access to villages across the country. BharatNet is one of the world’s largest rural telecom infrastructure projects and forms a key pillar of the Government of India’s Digital India mission.
The BharatNet initiative seeks to connect Gram Panchayats and rural regions through optical fibre networks, enabling affordable internet connectivity, digital governance, online education, telemedicine, e-commerce, and financial inclusion. Phase III of the project focuses on upgrading and modernizing the existing network infrastructure while expanding broadband penetration in remote and underserved areas.
Under BharatNet Phase III, the government aims to improve network reliability, increase bandwidth capacity, strengthen last-mile connectivity, and integrate advanced technology solutions for efficient digital service delivery. The phase also emphasizes operation and maintenance reforms, network scalability, and greater participation of private sector partners.
The project is expected to support digital transformation in rural India by enabling access to e-governance services, digital banking, online learning platforms, telehealth facilities, and agricultural technology solutions. Improved connectivity is also likely to boost rural entrepreneurship, employment generation, and digital literacy.
BharatNet Phase III aligns with India’s broader vision of building a digitally empowered society and knowledge-based economy. By bridging the digital divide between urban and rural regions, the initiative aims to strengthen inclusive growth and improve access to technology-driven public services.
The program is considered strategically important for enhancing digital infrastructure, supporting smart governance, and accelerating socio-economic development in rural India. As internet usage and digital services continue to expand rapidly, BharatNet Phase III is expected to play a critical role in strengthening India’s communication and broadband ecosystem.
Q1: As the government advances BharatNet Phase III, what are the key learnings from earlier phases that can help ensure faster rollout and more reliable internet connectivity across rural India?
Pankaj Malik: One of the biggest learnings from earlier BharatNet phases is that scale alone is not enough; execution quality and deployment agility matter equally. At Invenia, our experience across projects like MahaNet in Maharashtra, T-Fibre in Telangana, and now the BharatNet III project in Jammu & Kashmir has shown that fibre deployment needs to be far more technology-led and automated to achieve both speed and reliability.
Another key learning is that rural connectivity projects cannot be approached with a one-size-fits-all mindset. Different terrains, weather conditions, and local administrative environments require customised planning and phased execution. In Maharashtra, for instance, we combined fibre optics with UBR connectivity to ensure networks could reach even remote and flood-prone regions.
Reliability also depends heavily on long-term operations and maintenance. Building the network is only the first step. Continuous monitoring, redundancy planning, 24×7 network operations support, and local capacity building are equally critical to sustaining service quality in rural areas over time.
Q2: You’ve worked on projects in tough regions like Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. What are the real, on-ground challenges in building digital infrastructure in such areas and how do you overcome them?
Pankaj Malik: Projects in regions like Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh test every aspect of telecom infrastructure deployment, from logistics and engineering to manpower and operational resilience. Through the National Fibre Network project for the Indian Defence, Invenia deployed nearly 9,000 kilometres of fibre optic network across some of the most challenging terrains in the country.
The challenges on the ground are very real. Harsh weather conditions, rugged mountainous terrain, landslides, snow, transportation constraints and limited skilled manpower can all impact deployment timelines and network reliability. In many locations, even moving equipment and materials to the site becomes a major operational exercise.
To address this, we adopted a highly customised deployment approach. Specialised teams and equipment were deployed specifically for high-altitude conditions and projects were executed in phases to maximise progress during favourable weather windows. We also used weather-resistant fibre infrastructure designed to withstand extreme environmental conditions.
Another important aspect is coordination. These projects involve multiple stakeholders, including local authorities, defence teams and administrative agencies. Strong on-ground coordination and planning become essential to ensure continuity and timely execution.
Our experience in these regions has reinforced that resilient infrastructure is built not just through technology, but through adaptability and deep operational planning.
Q3: Today, a lot of government services in terms of identity and payments depend on digital platforms. How important is strong network infrastructure in making sure these services work smoothly for citizens?
Pankaj Malik: Digital infrastructure today has become foundational to public service delivery. Whether it is access to e-governance platforms, digital payments, telemedicine, or online education, citizens increasingly depend on uninterrupted connectivity for essential services.
From our experience in projects across Maharashtra,Telangana, and Tamil Nadu, reliable fibre infrastructure plays a critical role in ensuring that these services remain accessible even in remote regions. For example, in Maharashtra, the network initiative connected thousands of Gram Panchayats with high-speed internet, enabling access to e-health, e-education, and government services for rural communities.
Similarly, Rajasthan’s state-wide connectivity backbone was designed to support e-Mitra services, Wi-Fi networks, IP phones, and government offices, helping improve last-mile digital delivery across the state.
The expectation today is not just connectivity, but seamless and uninterrupted connectivity. As more citizen services move online, any disruption or downtime can impact access to essential services for millions of people. That is why network resilience, redundancy, proactive monitoring, and 24×7 network management are becoming increasingly important. Strong network infrastructure ensures low latency, high availability, and secure data movement, which are essential for digital transactions and real-time service delivery.
As India becomes more digitally dependent, network infrastructure is no longer just a telecom layer; it has become a critical public infrastructure layer.
Q4: You’ve partnered with multiple state governments. From what you’ve seen, what do states get right and where do they usually struggle when it comes to executing large digital infrastructure projects?
Pankaj Malik: One positive trend we have seen across several state-led projects is a strong commitment toward expanding digital access and enabling inclusive growth. Under the vision of our honorable Prime Minister, states are increasingly recognizing connectivity as a core enabler for governance, education, healthcare and economic participation. In many cases, states have also streamlined Right of Way (RoW) approvals and policy frameworks, which has helped accelerate fibre deployment and reduce bottlenecks.
Another important factor is adopting vendor-agnostic and technology-agnostic network designs. Digital infrastructure evolves rapidly and states that build open, scalable architectures are better positioned to integrate future technologies. Projects like T-Fibre in Telangana, rural connectivity initiatives in Maharashtra and digital infrastructure programs in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu demonstrate how states are prioritizing long-term digital infrastructure creation.
From our experience, projects tend to succeed when there is strong collaboration between government stakeholders and implementation partners, supported by clear accountability frameworks, centralized monitoring, and defined SLAs. In Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, for instance, structured methodologies, NOC monitoring, and continuous operational support played an important role in maintaining service quality and uptime.
The larger opportunity now is to move from project-led execution to lifecycle-led infrastructure management, where long-term performance and sustainability are built into the program from day one.
Q5: Public-private partnerships have played a big role in India’s digital growth. In simple terms, what can be improved to make these collaborations faster and more effective going forward?
Pankaj Malik: Public-private partnerships have been instrumental in expanding India’s digital infrastructure, especially for projects that require large-scale deployment across rural and remote geographies. Our experience across BharatNet, state fibre programs and national backbone projects has shown that strong collaboration between governments and technology partners can significantly accelerate digital inclusion.
Technology adoption will also play an important role. Automation-led deployment models, centralized network monitoring, GIS mapping, AI-led planning and proactive maintenance capabilities can improve both rollout efficiency and long-term reliability. In a nutshell, streamlined approval processes, faster Right of Way clearances, standardised implementation frameworks and single-window coordination mechanisms can significantly improve execution timelines.
Another important factor is long-term operational sustainability. Successful infrastructure projects require continuous monitoring, preventive maintenance, skilled local support teams and lifecycle management beyond the initial deployment phase.
India has already created strong momentum in digital infrastructure development. The next phase will depend on how quickly collaborative models can scale execution while maintaining quality and resilience and continuously explore newer ways to improve service delivery for citizens at the last mile.