Case Study

Client: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)
Industry: Telecommunications 
Solution Provider: Olatech Solutions (OTS)

BSNL, one of India’s largest telecom service providers, serves over 6 million broadband subscribers across India. The company offers a wide range of services, including Broadband, GSM Mobile, Leased Line, MPLS-VPN, and DSL, among others. With increasing demand for high-quality internet services, BSNL recognized the need to modernize its Fiber to the X (FTTx) network to keep pace with evolving customer needs and growing network traffic.

The modernization initiative was aimed at not only upgrading BSNL’s physical infrastructure but also enhancing its Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) system, which plays a vital role in enabling and securing broadband services. The AAA system, often considered the backbone of broadband networks, ensures access control, subscriber authentication, and accurate billing, while also supporting the expansion of services and efficient management of network resources.

BSNL’s broadband network has been instrumental in driving its growth, providing digital IP-based connectivity to residential subscribers, government organizations, enterprises, and educational institutions. The network supports a wide range of services including FTTx, Wi-Fi, VPN, 3G/4G backhaul, and more. In response to the increasing need for broadband services, BSNL sought a solution that would not only scale with its expanding subscriber base but also introduce new services with minimal disruption to ongoing operations.

The Solution

BSNL selected Olatech Solutions (OTS) to provide its advanced EpiphanyAAA (eAAA) and Epiphany Policy Controller (ePC) applications to support the modernization of its broadband network. These solutions were specifically chosen for their ability to be network and vendor agnostic, allowing BSNL to manage multiple network requests on a single platform while ensuring seamless integration with existing infrastructure.

The deployment of the eAAA and ePC solutions was carried out in a Control Plane - User Plane (CUPS) architecture, allowing BSNL to manage traffic and policy controls with greater flexibility and efficiency. OTS’ AAA solution operates on the RADIUS protocol, ensuring compatibility with BSNL’s diverse range of services and network elements.

In total, the OTS solution was deployed across four regional points of presence (POP) locations, with each site catering to 1.5 million broadband subscribers. The project’s architecture was designed with two data center-disaster recovery (DC-DR) pairs, ensuring redundancy and high availability. This approach not only improved network resilience but also ensured uninterrupted service delivery during the transition to the new platform.

OTS also introduced automation through its CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) process, which streamlined the deployment and reduced operational overhead for BSNL. This automation helped boost scalability, allowing BSNL to grow its subscriber base by nearly 20% within a year.

The deployment was conducted in collaboration with HFCL, a leading system integrator, and Nokia, which provided the Broadband Network Gateways (BNGs). This partnership ensured that the project was executed efficiently and met BSNL’s strategic goals of enhancing both infrastructure and service offerings.



Key Implementation Details:



  • 250 Broadband Network Gateways (BNGs) were deployed as part of the network upgrade.
  • Each of the 4 Regional POP locations supported 1.5 million subscribers.
  • The infrastructure upgrade was based on the CUPS (Control Plane - User Plane) architecture.
  • The solution supports broadband connections of up to 1 Gbps for FTTx subscribers.
  • The architecture included 2 DC-DR pairs, providing redundancy and resilience.
  • BSNL’s subscriber base grew by 20% within the first year of deployment.

Project Outcomes


OTS’ advanced AAA and PCRF solutions were designed to meet BSNL’s immediate needs while also preparing the network for future growth. One of the key benefits of the solution was its modular and virtualized architecture, which allowed for rapid implementation with minimal risk. This flexibility enabled BSNL to seamlessly migrate its subscribers to the new platform with minimal downtime, ensuring that the customer experience remained unaffected during the transition.

The AAA solution played a pivotal role in enabling BSNL to introduce new broadband services to its customers, including fiber-based broadband services under the BharatNet Fiber initiative, which aims to bring high-speed internet to rural areas across India. The new platform also enabled BSNL to launch large urban Wi-Fi hotspots, expanding internet access in cities and towns.

Additionally, OTS’ AAA platform allowed BSNL to implement a range of policies and services, including Fair Usage Policy (FUP) plans, speed cap plans, unlimited data plans, VPN services, and more. This gave BSNL the flexibility to offer tailored broadband packages to its diverse customer base, ranging from individual residential users to large enterprises.

The real-time data analytics and insights provided by the platform enabled BSNL to launch targeted promotions and offers, driving significant growth in its broadband subscriber base. With enhanced control over its broadband services, BSNL could quickly adapt to market trends and customer demands, allowing it to stay ahead in a competitive industry.


The Road Ahead


The modernization of BSNL’s FTTx network has laid the foundation for future growth. With scalable infrastructure and automated processes in place, BSNL is well-positioned to expand its broadband services across India, particularly in underserved rural areas. The OTS solution’s ability to support both IPoE (IP over Ethernet) and PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet) connections ensures that BSNL can offer reliable and high-speed internet services to a broad range of customers, from households to enterprises.

Furthermore, the solution’s flexibility allows BSNL to continue innovating, introducing new services such as voice over IP (VoIP) and multimedia services while maintaining a high level of service quality. With the support of OTS, BSNL has not only modernized its network but also gained the tools and capabilities needed to compete in an increasingly digital world.


Conclusion


The partnership between BSNL and OTS has proven to be a significant step forward in modernizing India’s broadband infrastructure. By leveraging OTS’ radical eAAA and ePC solutions, BSNL has been able to improve service delivery, expand its subscriber base, and enhance the overall customer experience. As BSNL continues to grow and expand its network, OTS’ scalable and flexible solutions will play a crucial role in supporting its long-term goals.

This case study demonstrates how BSNL, with the help of OTS and its partners, successfully navigated the challenges of modernizing a large-scale broadband network while delivering tangible benefits to its customers and stakeholders.