RailTel launches shared RAN solution to reduce internet congestion at railway stations

Indian Railways’ telecom and broadband arm RailTel has launched a Shared RAN (radio access network) solution to improve internet speeds available to users in congested areas such as railway stations. 

The solution was developed in partnership with CloudExtel, a telecom technology services provider. A pilot project in collaboration with Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, Nokia, and Telecom Infra Project’s NaaS Solutions Group was successfully conducted at the Mumbai Central railway station. 

The average user speed during the pilot increased five times from 3 Mbps to 15 Mbps for Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. As a result, data consumption increased by 20%, according to CloudExtel.

Kunal Bajaj, Founder, and CEO of CloudExtel believes that without shared RAN, even the 5G experience will remain “hampered” in congested areas. 

“Shared RAN solutions will become an architectural foundation for upcoming 5G deployments in the country,” Bajaj said. 

India held its 5G auctions last month and Bharti Airtel has already announced plans to roll out 5G services in August. 

RailTel’s chairman and managing director Aruna Singh said that the pilot project and its impressive result has validated the PSU’s belief in shared RAN technology.

“We look forward to scaling this in all congested areas serving passengers and telecom operators while reducing the clutter of infrastructure and energy consumption in railway stations” she added. 

RAN is a critical component of modern-day telecom infrastructure. It uses radio frequency to connect individual devices such as smartphones or PCs to the network. A RAN sharing solution allows telcos to share their RAN and networking Infrastructure to increase their coverage and internet speeds in a cost-effective manner.