Convergence Plus Journal

NEW DELHI -- Now, accessing the Internet will no longer be a problem if you were travelling from New Delhi to Chennai! RailTel proposes to make this dream come true, having successfully tested Internet services on trains. This is not all. It also plans to ultimately install cyber cafes and unmanned Internet kiosks all over the country that will also offer VoIP services and Internet gaming. Convergence Plus met up with Ashok Kumar Chopra, managing director, RailTel, to learn more about the Internet service trials and future plans of the public sector undertaking (PSU). Excerpts from an interview:

Convergence Plus: Can you please elaborate on the recently initiated Internet service in trains?

Ashok Kumar Chopra: The Internet service in the trains is still on trial. We are experimenting with the technology. We discussed the idea with various companies and institutions, including the IITs. During one of these discussions, Shanker V. Rao of ShoshaCom Ltd., Canada, took up this challenge of working with the RailTel team. We conducted the tests from April 15-26, 2003 between Tughlakabad and Faridabad stations on the tower wagon of the Northern Railway. The download speed during the test was 40Kbps. Now, we will test the service in one of the nominated trains.

The Railway board will soon approve the section and the train. In later stages, we will perform regular trials on the JanaShatabdi, which is running from Nizamuddin to Kota. We will also cover all stations between the Delhi-Mathura section. Inderjit of RailTel and Andrew Metcalf of ShoshaCom, along with the staff of P-COM, New Delhi, under the supervision of Mahesh Mangal, director projects, are leading a core technical team to work on the concept and do the necessary experimentation.

CP: Will you be capable of servicing voice and data requirements?

AKC: As regard the services, I think we should be able to offer all of the services that a cyber cafe can provide. We will be setting up unmanned kiosks at platform number 12, New Delhi railway station, using 802.11b. We plan to offer 12 seats for Internet browsing. We will also provide facilities for VoIP and Webcom, and offer two locations each for IP telephony and videoconferencing over ISDN, colour printers, photocopiers, etc. It will be a 24x7 service. We have awarded the job on a revenue-sharing basis.

CP: When you say that you intend to offer VoIP, are you thinking of taking on the VoIP players?

AKC: We should be able to offer all of the services offered by cyber cafes. These cyber cafes will also provide IP telephony. If this works out, we will distribute IP services everywhere. We are quite small in size compared to MTNL. Generally, VoIP players end up compromising on the IP quality. However, we would like to focus on quality. Right now, it is difficult to visualise what shape it will take. We think, it will take about two years to grow.

CP: Coming back to Internet services, what sort of provision is there for Internet gaming?

AKC: Once we have properly installed the system, we will evolve Internet gaming, as the speed is good. The feasibilities for making money are there to exploit, and we can make use of it. We can use the kiosks for advertising purposes as well and make them an additional revenue source. The idea is to keep the kiosks busy 24x7.

CP: Are you looking to provide collocation facilities as well, and to whom?

AKC: Yes. There are two ways to collocate. We can ask the service provider to put their equipment in our room or we can lease out the Railway's land to the service provider. He can use his equipment with the help of our bandwidth and towers. We will take care of the service provider's equipment.

CP: So who has the right of way in this case?

AKC: The right of way is ours. We will pass on the revenue to the Railways. We are already providing dark fiber to Tata Teleservices for Chennai to Madurai area on an annual basis. We have provided them our equipment rooms, and also carrying out the maintenance. Tata Teleservices wants more dark fiber so that they don't have to lay down their own fiber.

Idea Cellular has covered almost the entire South -- from Secunderabad to Vikarabad and Guntakal areas. Bharti has taken bandwidth from Waltair to Howrah. However, the OFC has not yet stabilised. Hutch has covered the entire Mumbai area, and British Gas has covered Mumbai to Surat area as an ISP. We have already leased out nearly 40 towers. Railways had laid the first OFC in 1998, in Mumbai, from Churchgate to Virar, and have so far laid over 19,940km of OFC.

CP: Do you intend to become an Internet Exchange Provider (IXP)?

AKC: We would like to become one, if possible, as we have all the applications. The credit goes to the Railway ministry and to the minister for giving us a free hand for selling of surplus bandwidth. The Hon'ble Railway Minister, Nitish Kumar, when apprised of this development, felt that this concept can bring about a communications revolution not only in the trains, but also in the rural areas en route. Former Railway minister Mamata Banerjee also supported the project.

CP: How do you see audio-/video-on demand taking off, given that they have not been popular so far?

AKC: These will be the add-ons, once the basic services are in place. Radio Mirchi is working on our microwave tower, which is located on Mahalaxmi Building in Mumbai. There are regulation problems with FM transmission at the moment. If these are not there, then we have the bandwidth and the towers to play FM in trains.

CP: What are your plans for offering NLD and ILD services?

AKC: For national long-distance (NLD) services, we have to tie up with a joint venture partner. According to a current mandate by the government, only PSUs can pick up the equity. We should offer the equity to DoT. We are in talks with the DoT regarding the equity issue. However, the telecom scenario has changed. Earlier, we wanted a JV partner to get expertise in the telecom arena. Now, if either of MTNL or BSNL pick up equities and get us subscribers, there will be hardly any problem.

Suppose either one of them pick up the equity, we can straightaway offer NLD services. However, should BSNL pick up the equity, there will no need for offering NLD services. We believe that NLD services will be useful if we have a partner or there is a carrier access code. The carrier access code will help users to pick and choose any carrier. We are approaching the NLD service cautiously.

A number of interested parties are talking to us regarding international long-distance (ILD) services. We are interested more about the incoming traffic as the regulations are quite clear on that.

CP: What if the DoT and the other PSUs do not pick up the equity?

AKC: In that case, we will approach the union cabinet for further instructions. RailTel should maintain a neutral role and not align with anyone. We must encourage other ISPs, NLD service providers and cellular operators to use our bandwidth. That will be good in the long run.

Ashok Kumar Chopra, managing director, RailTel.

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