Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has floated a tender to supply Giga Passive Optical Network (GPON) equipment, Energy Monitoring System (EMS), and solar power equipment with valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries. The equipment has to have a year warranty and seven years of annual maintenance contract.

The primary objective of the tender is to set up the GPON-based internet connectivity network under a national optical fiber network (NOFN) project. The scope of work also includes the installation of optical network terminals (ONT) in the gram panchayat (village council) buildings. Alternatively, it can also be installed in any government buildings such as schools or hospitals.

The tender is for the supply of 7,360 numbers of solar equipment, including solar module (along with a suitable stand), VRLA batteries, charge controller unit, and installation material, including earthing. The solar modules should be as per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) guidelines for claiming subsidy.

According to the tender document, the successful bidder must supply the solar photovoltaic (SPV) power supply system as a complete package along with the ONT. The solar panel should be installed on a rooftop. The specification of the rooftop structure will be site-specific.

The bidder must ensure that the charging control unit should have a provision that the battery should be charged both from solar power as well as grid supply. Solar will be the primary source, while grid supply will be the secondary source of power.

The project will be developed on a turnkey basis. According to the tender document, BSNL needs 588 optical line terminal sites to connect 7,360 optical network terminals at gram panchayats.

The last date for the submission of bids is June 2, 2020, while the opening of the tender has been scheduled for June 3, 2020. Interested bidders must pay a sum of ₹20 million (~$267,372) as the earnest money deposit (EMD).

As far as the eligibility criteria for bidders are concerned, prospective vendors should have an annual average turnover of ₹500 million (~$6.7 million) during the last three financial years.

In February 2020, BSNL had invited bids for 2.5 MW of grid-connected rooftop solar PV projects on BSNL buildings in different zones of Maharashtra.

Earlier, Mercom reported that the Department of Telecommunications had issued directions to the telecom service providers for the use of renewable energy solutions and energy-efficient technologies.