RailTel modernises long-distance, metro optical networks across India

In an industry where the demand for high-speed, resilient network services is constantly increasing, Indian railway ICT service provider RailTel has engaged Nokia to supply core technology for a critical network modernisation project that sees the upgrade of its dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) National Long-Distance (NLD) network.

Established to modernise railway communications throughout the sub-continent, using its right-of-way assets, RailTel is one of the foremost neutral telecoms infrastructure providers in India and offers services and systems such as MPLS-VPN, telepresence, leased lines, colocation and datacentre platforms to enterprises and government clients.

With a pan-India optical fibre network exceeding 64,000 route kilometres and two Tier-III certified datacentres, it has the mission of transforming more than 6,115 railway stations into digital hubs through public Wi-Fi services, contributing to India’s digital inclusion.

The company also regards itself as playing a crucial role in advancing national digital infrastructure, being a strategic partner in mission-mode projects like BharatNet – said to be one of the biggest rural telecom projects in the world – and the Indian National Knowledge Network (NKN), a high-speed, ultra-high-bandwidth national network that connects research and educational institutions across India.

Nokia technology is already at the heart of RailTel’s Carrier-Grade NAT (CG-NAT) and metro optical transport network across India, and the companies say their initiatives collectively address the growing demand for high-speed, resilient connectivity, driving operational efficiency and reducing costs.

The latest partnership adopts a supplier-neutral, open-network approach, fostering future innovation and technological advancements across RailTel’s optical footprint and the upgrade of RailTel’s DWDM NLD network, undertaken in collaboration with its authorised partners.

Using Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch (PSS) and advanced transponder technology, the enhanced network is said to offer a substantial increase in transport capacity while minimising cost per bit. By reutilising RailTel’s existing infrastructure and previously unused channel spectrum, the deployment also introduces high-capacity Lambda transmission and express traffic lanes between cities, significantly improving overall network performance.

Nokia’s 7750 Service Router (SR), integrated with Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) and CG-NAT functionality, has been installed to empower RailTel’s network to efficiently support enterprise-grade high-speed traffic alongside internal internet service provider (ISP) services. This unified network architecture is claimed to not only enhance intercity traffic resiliency, but also address RailTel’s expanding bandwidth requirements.

Commenting on the deployment, RailTel chairman and managing director Sanjai Kumar said: “This collaboration represents a pivotal step in modernising 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 and broadband customers across India.”

The RailTel deployment is the latest in a number of contract wins on railways for Nokia, in particular in Asia. In October 2025, it announced that it had signed a partnership with ST Engineering and First One Systems to deploy a communications network for enhanced safety and services at Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM).The RailTel deployment is the latest in a number of contract wins on railways for Nokia, in particular in Asia.

In October 2025, it announced that it had signed a partnership with ST Engineering and First One Systems to deploy a communications network for enhanced safety and services at Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM).

Explaining the project taking place in Thailand’s capital, Nokia said that railway systems worldwide are undergoing digital transformation to enhance operational efficiency, reliability and safety. The new internet protocol/multi-protocol label switching (IP/MPLS)-based mission-critical backbone transmission network (BTN) will be deployed on BEM’s 35.9km mass rapid transit (MRT) Orange Line, which is due to be completed by 2030.