India’s NBCC and RailTel plan to develop data centre projects

Details: Vaughan O'Grady; Category: Data Centres & Networks; 09 April 2025; 4763 views

NBCC (India) Limited, a central public sector enterprise (CPSE) under the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) with RailTel Corporation, a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) or government-owned establishment under the Ministry of Railways, to collaborate on developing data centre projects.

The collaboration extends from concept to commissioning across India and overseas for a period of five years.

NBCC has Navratna status, a designation granting CPSEs enhanced financial and operational autonomy, allowing them to make larger investments and enter into international collaborations without needing government approval.

Formerly known as National Buildings Construction Corporation, NBCC’s operations include project management consultancy, engineering, procurement and construction, and real estate development.

RailTel meanwhile, is a PSU and one of the largest neutral telecom infrastructure and ICT solutions and services providers in the country, owning a pan-India optic fibre network covering several towns and cities and rural areas of the country.

Under the terms of the MoU, NBCC will offer project management consultancy services for the construction of data centre buildings and associated civil and passive infrastructure. RailTel will provide expertise in planning, designing, supply, installation, testing, commissioning, and operations and maintenance of IT-related infrastructure for the data centres.

This collaboration is designed to leverage the core competencies of both organisations, enabling them to supplement each other’s capabilities and enhance client acquisition and service delivery efficiency on a long-term, sustainable basis.