RailTel-Nokia Partnership: How India's Digital Highways Get a Major Upgrade

The project marks a step in improving RailTel's digital backbone. Nokia, along with its authorized partners, has completed the upgrade of RailTel's Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) network and deployed Carrier-Grade NAT (CG-NAT) and metro optical transport systems across the country. These upgrades are designed to meet the growing demand for faster and more dependable internet connections, while also cutting operational costs.

"This collaboration represents a pivotal step in modernizing our BNG, CG-NAT and optical transport systems. Through the integration of Nokia's advanced technologies with our existing infrastructure, we are positioned to achieve exceptional efficiency. These enhancements will enable us to deliver superior, faster, and more reliable services to our enterprise & Broadband customers across India," said Sanjai Kumar, Chairman and Managing Director of RailTel.

Using Nokia's 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) and advanced transponder technology, RailTel's enhanced network now carries far more data at a lower cost per bit. The system makes efficient use of RailTel's existing infrastructure and previously unused channel spectrum. It also introduces high-capacity transmission lanes, known as Lambda routes, between major cities, which allow faster and smoother data movement nationwide.

The collaboration follows a vendor-neutral and open-network model, meaning it can easily adapt to future technologies and innovations. This approach, both companies said, would help RailTel strengthen its role as a key digital network provider for government and enterprise customers.

Alongside the optical upgrade, Nokia's 7750 Service Router (SR), combined with its Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) and CG-NAT features, will allow RailTel to handle large-scale, high-speed enterprise traffic and internet services more efficiently. The unified network setup is expected to improve intercity connectivity and help manage India's rapidly growing data needs.

Commenting on the development, Prashant Malkani, Head of India Sales for Network Infrastructure at Nokia, said, "At a time where demand for high-speed, resilient network services is constantly increasing, RailTel has put its trust in Nokia to ensure its critical network modernization project is successful. We have unmatched credentials in supporting open network architectures which integrate into any customer ecosystem, and the use of our latest set of IP routers and optical transponders will help RailTel to reduce costs and improve operational efficiency."

- ANI