The Steel Nobody Talks About: How India’s Digital Infrastructure Build Quietly Consumes Millions of Tonnes

Every steel industry conference talks about construction, automotive, railways, and infrastructure. Almost nobody talks about telecom towers. Yet India’s 730,000-plus tower network — the second largest in the world — represents one of the most consistent, geographically distributed, and crisis-resilient sources of structural steel demand in the country. And unlike construction, which cycles with monsoons and budgets, telecom infrastructure demand is driven by data consumption growth that shows no sign of slowing.

When Bondada Engineering’s subsidiary recently secured a ₹35.40 crore order from Pratap Technocrats for 40-metre self-supported towers with hardware, foundation bolts, and templates — one contract among many in the company’s ₹7,385 crore order book — it barely registered as news. Yet orders like these, multiplied across dozens of tower fabricators and EPC companies nationwide, add up to hundreds of thousands of tonnes of galvanised structural steel consumed annually. This is the steel segment that steel professionals should be tracking more carefully.

The Numbers Behind Every Tower

A standard 40-metre self-supported lattice tower — the most common type deployed in India — consumes approximately 5–8 tonnes of structural steel. This breaks down across several component categories, each with distinct material specifications.

The tower body itself is fabricated from hot-rolled equal angle sections, typically 50×50mm to 150×150mm depending on the tower’s height and wind load classification. These angles are fabricated (cut, drilled, punched) and then hot-dip galvanised to IS 4759 specification to protect against corrosion — towers are outdoor assets with 20–25 year design lives. The galvanising process adds a zinc coating of 80–120 microns, consuming an additional 40–60 kg of zinc per tonne of steel.

Foundation bolts are high-tensile steel, typically Grade 8.8 or 10.9 per IS 1364/IS 1367, embedded in reinforced concrete foundations. A single tower foundation may require 200–500 kg of high-tensile bolts and anchoring hardware.

Base plates and foundation templates are fabricated from MS plates of 12–25mm thickness, cut and drilled to precise specifications. These templates serve as the interface between the concrete foundation and the steel tower structure.

Hardware — nuts, bolts, washers, clamps, step bolts (for climbing), safety cable brackets, and antenna mounting brackets — typically accounts for 300–600 kg per tower.

For taller structures (60 metres and above) and heavy-duty towers designed to carry multiple operators’ equipment plus 5G antennas, the steel consumption can reach 12–15 tonnes per tower. These heavier towers require larger angle sections, thicker base plates, and more substantial foundations.

The total weight of a tower installation — including the tower body, foundation reinforcement, and all hardware — can be verified using SteelMath’s Steel Weight Calculator, which supports angle sections, plates, round bars, and pipe sections used in tower construction. For angle section weights specifically, the calculator covers all IS 808 standard sizes commonly used in tower fabrication.

India’s Tower Landscape: 730,000 and Counting

India operates approximately 730,000 telecom towers, making it the second-largest tower market globally after China. This installed base itself represents a significant past consumption of steel — at an average of 6 tonnes per tower, the standing tower network embodies roughly 4.4 million tonnes of structural steel already in the ground and in service.

The tower ownership landscape is concentrated among a few major players. Indus Towers, the joint venture between Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (with Bharti as the largest shareholder), owns and operates approximately 260,000 macro towers with over 420,000 co-locations as of December 2025. Brookfield-backed Altius Telecom Infrastructure Trust (formerly Data Infrastructure Trust), which primarily serves Reliance Jio, operates roughly 257,000 towers. The remaining towers are operated by smaller independent tower companies and operator-owned infrastructure.

Independent tower companies collectively spent approximately ₹23,000 crore in capex over FY2023 and FY2024 — the peak 5G rollout period — and are expected to spend a further ₹21,000 crore across FY2025 and FY2026, according to CRISIL Ratings. While the pace of spending is moderating from peak levels, the absolute numbers remain substantial. Even a 30% reduction from peak capex still translates to billions of rupees of annual tower infrastructure investment.

Three Demand Drivers Sustaining Tower Steel Consumption

The narrative that India’s tower demand is “slowing down” requires nuance. While the major 5G macro-tower rollout phase by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel is largely complete — 5G BTS additions dropped to approximately 8,000 in FY2025 from 141,000 in FY2023 — three factors sustain meaningful ongoing steel demand.

1. BSNL’s 100,000-Tower Programme

The government-owned operator BSNL is undertaking its most ambitious network expansion in decades. In March 2025, the government accelerated BSNL’s 4G/5G rollout, targeting 65,000 new tower upgrades and working towards a 100,000-tower total deployment goal. This programme is funded by government support and is explicitly aimed at expanding rural coverage where Jio and Airtel have less commercial incentive to build.

For tower fabricators and steel suppliers, the BSNL programme represents a multi-year order pipeline. Unlike commercial operator capex that can be cut or delayed based on financial performance, BSNL’s expansion is government-directed and policy-driven — providing more predictable demand visibility.

2. Network Densification and Tower Strengthening

5G technology requires denser networks than 4G. While the initial 5G rollout was accomplished primarily through installing equipment on existing towers (a process called “loading”), the next phase — network densification — requires additional small cell sites, new micro-towers in urban areas, and strengthening of existing towers to carry heavier equipment loads.

Tower strengthening is itself a steel-consuming activity. Adding structural reinforcement to an existing tower to increase its wind load capacity or equipment load capacity requires additional angle sections, bracing, and hardware — typically 1–3 tonnes of steel per tower strengthened. With hundreds of thousands of towers potentially needing upgrades over the next five years, this is a significant incremental demand source.

Bharti Airtel’s quarterly report for the period ended December 2025 noted the deployment of 1,147 new towers and 16,338 mobile broadband base stations in the quarter alone, along with approximately 30,000 kilometres of fibre deployment over the preceding nine months. This level of activity — even in a “slowing” market — still drives substantial steel procurement.

3. Rural Connectivity and BharatNet

India’s rural areas remain under-served by telecom infrastructure. The BharatNet programme, which aims to connect all gram panchayats with fibre optic connectivity, requires towers at regular intervals along fibre routes for wireless last-mile connectivity. The government’s Digital India vision and the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) continue to fund rural tower deployment in commercially unviable areas.

Rural towers are typically standard 30–40 metre self-supported structures, consuming the standard 5–8 tonnes of steel. What makes them significant as a demand source is their geographic spread — they’re built across every state, in locations where local fabrication capacity may be limited, creating demand for transported fabricated steel from established manufacturing clusters.

The Order Pipeline: What Recent Contracts Tell Us

Individual tower orders provide a ground-level view of ongoing demand. Bondada Engineering’s ₹35.40 crore contract with Pratap Technocrats for 40-metre towers — disclosed through a SEBI regulatory filing on March 13, 2026 — is illustrative of the steady deal flow in this segment.

The contract, awarded to Bondada’s subsidiary Bondada Green Engineering Private Limited, covers the supply of 40M towers with hardware, foundation bolts, and foundation templates, with execution scheduled by October 2026. At a typical tower cost of ₹5–8 lakh for the steel and fabrication component of a 40-metre tower, this single contract represents roughly 45–70 towers and approximately 250–500 tonnes of structural steel.

Bondada Engineering itself has transformed from a telecom EPC company (founded 2012, commenced telecom business 2013) into a diversified infrastructure player with a ₹7,385 crore order book as of March 2026 and consolidated revenue of ₹1,928 crore for the first nine months of FY26. The company’s 14-year revenue CAGR of 56% reflects the broader growth trajectory of India’s digital infrastructure ecosystem.

Just weeks later, on April 2, 2026, Bondada secured another set of orders worth ₹42.50 crore — including self-supported communication towers for Telangana Police Housing, Infratech & Consultancy Services Corporation Limited. This contract for police communication infrastructure highlights how tower steel demand extends beyond commercial telecom into government security, defence, and emergency communication networks.

The broader order pipeline includes contracts from tower companies (Indus Towers, Altius/Summit Digitel) to fabricators, from telecom operators (Airtel, Jio, BSNL, Vi) to EPC firms, and from government agencies (USOF, state IT departments) to infrastructure providers. Each contract, however modest individually, aggregates into a substantial steel consumption volume nationally.

Why This Segment Matters for Steel Fabricators

Telecom tower demand has several characteristics that make it uniquely attractive compared to other steel-consuming segments, particularly during periods of market volatility like the current Hormuz crisis.

Predictability. Tower rollout plans are publicly tracked. TRAI publishes quarterly deployment data. Operator capex guidance is disclosed in earnings calls. BSNL’s government-funded programme has defined targets. This visibility allows steel fabricators to plan capacity utilisation and inventory levels with far more confidence than construction or auto demand.

Standardisation. Towers are engineered to IS standards (IS 875 for wind loads, IS 802 for tower design, IS 2062 for steel grade). The product specifications are well-defined: angle sections in specific sizes, plates in specific thicknesses, bolts in specific grades. This allows fabricators to maintain standard stock levels and production processes.

Payment reliability. Tower companies and telecom operators are, in general, better payors than construction sector clients. Payment cycles of 30–60 days are typical for tower supply contracts, compared to the 60–120 day cycles common in government construction projects. Bondada Engineering’s Q3 FY26 results — 89% revenue growth with improving EBITDA margins of 11.9% — suggest healthy cash flow dynamics in the segment.

Geographic distribution. Towers are built everywhere — from metropolitan cores to rural villages. This distributes demand across regional steel fabrication clusters and supports local employment. Unlike a mega-project (port, highway) that concentrates demand in one location, tower demand is inherently decentralised.

Crisis resilience. During the Hormuz crisis, while construction and manufacturing demand may soften due to price resistance, telecom infrastructure spending is driven by government mandates and operator network requirements that don’t pause for commodity price cycles. People use their phones regardless of oil prices. The digital economy doesn’t stop when shipping lanes are disrupted.

What Procurement Teams Should Know

Product mix. The core products are equal angles (50×50×5 to 150×150×12, IS 2062 E250/E350), MS plates (12–25mm), high-tensile bolts (Grade 8.8/10.9), and galvanising services. Fabricators who can offer cut-to-length angles, drilled and punched per tower drawings, and manage the galvanising supply chain have a competitive advantage over raw material suppliers.

Quality certification. Tower steel must meet IS 2062 mechanical property requirements, and galvanising must meet IS 4759 coating thickness standards. Third-party inspection and mill test certificates are standard requirements. Fabricators serving this segment need rigorous quality management — a single batch of under-galvanised angles can lead to premature corrosion and structural failure, with liability implications.

Pricing dynamics. Tower contracts typically have fixed prices for the duration of the order (3–6 months for fabrication and delivery). In a rising input cost environment like the current Hormuz-driven market, fabricators need to price in expected steel cost increases over the execution period. Use SteelMath’s Margin Calculator to model how current steel price hikes affect your tower contract profitability. For GST implications on steel procurement, see our detailed guide.

Volume consistency. Unlike project-based construction demand that spikes and subsides, tower orders tend to come in steady batches throughout the year. A fabricator with 3–5 tower company clients can maintain relatively stable monthly production volumes — a significant operational advantage for capacity planning and workforce management.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much steel does a telecom tower consume?

A standard 40-metre self-supported lattice tower consumes approximately 5–8 tonnes of structural steel, including the tower body (hot-rolled and galvanised angles), foundation bolts (high-tensile Grade 8.8/10.9), foundation templates (MS plates 12–25mm), and hardware (clamps, brackets, step bolts, fasteners). Taller 60-metre towers and heavy-duty 5G-ready structures can consume 12–15 tonnes. The total includes approximately 300–600 kg of assorted hardware per tower.

How many telecom towers does India have?

India has approximately 730,000 telecom towers — the second-largest tower network in the world after China. Of these, roughly 260,000 are operated by Indus Towers (Bharti-Vodafone JV) and approximately 257,000 by Brookfield-backed Altius Telecom Infrastructure Trust. The telecom industry has deployed approximately 520,000 5G base transceiver stations as of December 2025.

What type of steel is used in telecom towers?

The primary material is hot-rolled structural steel angles conforming to IS 2062, hot-dip galvanised after fabrication per IS 4759. Foundation bolts are high-tensile steel (Grade 8.8 or 10.9 per IS 1364/IS 1367). Base plates and templates use MS plates of 12–25mm thickness. Tower design follows IS 802 for structural adequacy and IS 875 for wind load calculations. Galvanising adds a zinc coating of 80–120 microns for corrosion protection over the tower’s 20–25 year design life.

Is telecom tower demand for steel increasing or decreasing?

The picture is nuanced. The peak 5G macro-tower rollout by Jio and Airtel is largely complete, with net new 5G BTS additions slowing significantly from FY2023 peaks. However, three factors sustain meaningful demand: BSNL’s government-funded programme targeting 100,000 towers, network densification requiring tower strengthening and small cell deployment, and ongoing rural connectivity expansion. Independent tower companies are expected to spend approximately ₹21,000 crore in capex during FY2025–2026, according to CRISIL Ratings.

Data Sources & Verification

• Bondada Engineering SEBI disclosure under Regulation 30 (LODR), March 13, 2026: ₹35.40 crore order from Pratap Technocrats for 40M towers with hardware, foundation bolts, templates; execution by October 2026 (confirmed via EquityBulls, Scanx.trade, Whalesbook, Business Standard)
• Exact order value: ₹35,39,94,525 including GST (EquityBulls filing)
• Bondada Engineering order book: ₹7,385 crore as of March 2026; 9M FY26 revenue ₹1,928 crore; Q3 FY26 net profit ₹54.20 crore (+119% YoY), revenue ₹712.28 crore (+89% YoY), EBITDA margin 11.9% (Whalesbook, Scanx.trade, company corporate presentation)
• Bondada additional April 2 orders: ₹42.50 crore including Telangana Police communication towers (HDFC Sky, BSE filings)
• India total telecom towers: approximately 730,000 (Inside Towers Intelligence, second-largest globally after China)
• Indus Towers: 259,622 macro towers, 421,822 co-locations as of December 31, 2025 (Indus Towers Q3 FY26 results)
• Altius/Brookfield: approximately 257,000 towers (Inside Towers Intelligence)
• 5G BTS deployed: approximately 520,000 as of December 2025 (Indus Towers, TelecomTalk)
• 5G BTS additions FY2025: approximately 8,000, down from 141,000 in FY2023 (Inside Towers Intelligence, ICICI Securities)
• Tower industry capex: ₹23,000 crore FY2023–2024; ₹21,000 crore expected FY2025–2026 (CRISIL Ratings, November 2024)
• BSNL tower programme: 65,000 new tower upgrades, 100,000-tower total target (IMARC Group, March 2025 government announcement)
• Bharti Airtel Q3 FY26: 1,147 new towers, 16,338 BTS, ~30,000 km fibre in 9 months (Airtel earnings, February 2026)
• Tower steel consumption: 5–8 tonnes per standard 40m tower (industry standard engineering estimates)
• IS standards referenced: IS 2062 (structural steel), IS 4759 (hot-dip galvanising), IS 875 (wind loads), IS 802 (tower design), IS 1364/1367 (bolts)

This article is for informational purposes. Steel consumption estimates are based on industry standard engineering data and may vary by tower design, height, and wind zone classification. Individual stock mentions are factual reporting of public disclosures, not investment recommendations. Verify procurement details with your contracting authority.

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