Wireless Networks

India’s BSNL makes headlines in airport comms and FWA 

India’s BSNL makes headlines in airport comms and FWA 

Indian state-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) seems to be enjoying a period of making positive business headlines lately, with initiatives in airport communications and fixed broadband in the news this week.

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIAL) has partnered with BSNL to deploy a digital passenger communication system, including free high-speed Wi-Fi, when the airport, Mumbai’s second, starts commercial operations on 25 December, according to a report by news agency PTI.

India’s Economic Times says BSNL will use locally developed telecom kit supplied by Indian government-owned telecommunications technology development centre the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT), and Indian optical, broadband and data networking products company companies Tejas Networks, supported by IT services, consulting, and business solutions company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). 

Passengers connecting to the airport's free Wi-Fi, offering speeds up to 10 Mbps, will use the Adani OneApp as a virtual assistant. This app will provide real-time flight updates, boarding gate information, schedules, and notifications directly to their phones. It will also guide them to food, retail and lounge facilities.

Business conglomerate Adani Group built the airport and is a major investor and shareholder. The airport’s operator is its Adani Airports division.

There’s also been an important news for BSNL in fixed wireless access (FWA) as Indian IT systems integrator Blue Cloud Softech Solutions (BCSSL), together with Orange Business Services come to the end of a 5G FWA proof-of-concept (PoC) for the state-owned operator at its Mindi Exchange in Andhra Pradesh. The PoC, executed in collaboration with BSNL, validated the deployment of 5G access network, core, radio, and customer premises equipment (CPE) under real-world field conditions.

The Economic Times reports that the solution demonstrated interoperability between the QuadGen radio access network (RAN), Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) core, and BSNL’s transport, broadband network gateway (BNG), and authentication, authorisation, and accounting (AAA) systems.

In collaboration with Orange Business Services, BCSSL has led the enterprise-grade deployment of BSNL’s 5G FWA by implementing the BNG-based subscriber management framework to deliver a scalable solution at designated test locations. The BNG-led design, we are told, enables carrier-grade subscriber authentication, dynamic IP address assignment, quality of service (QoS) enforcement, and seamless integration with BSNL’s AAA systems.

The success of the trial, it is hoped, will pave the way for commercial and scalable 5G fixed broadband deployment.



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