Now Reading: KPTCL to commercialise dark fibre, expects Rs 130 crore
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KPTCL to commercialise dark fibre, expects Rs 130 crore
Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) will lease surplus 'dark fibre' on its 6,119-km optical ground wire network to telecom operators, officials announced on Saturday. The project is expected to generate about…
The Story in Brief
Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) will lease surplus 'dark fibre' on its 6,119-km optical ground wire network to telecom operators, officials announced on Saturday. The project is expected to generate about Rs 130 crore in fixed revenue over 15 years. KPTCL will keep 12 of its 24 optical fibre pairs for grid communication and lease the other 12 through a competitive bidding process. The selected agency will market, operate, and maintain the network, paying KPTCL a fixed annual fee plus 40% of leasing revenue and co-location charges. Energy Minister K J George called it a model for optimising public infrastructure.
The Indian Opinion
The KPTCL deal is being hailed as a smart use of public assets, but the real test will be whether the revenue-sharing model delivers. The 40% cut and co-location charges sound good on paper, but the private partner will handle all marketing and operations. Taxpayers should watch the first-year leasing numbers and the actual fixed fee collected. If the partner cherry-picks only high-value routes, rural connectivity may lag. The true measure is not just revenue but how many new users get lit fibre.
Sources (2): deccanherald.com, telecom.economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
