CloudExtel is revolutionizing connectivity in urban environments with its innovative Shared RAN solution, significantly improving network experiences for millions of users.
Launched as a pilot in 2022, this active Shared RAN solution was developed in India and has since demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in high-density areas, notably at Mumbai’s bustling railway stations.
Mumbai’s suburban railway, which serves around 7 million passengers daily, faces challenges due to its dense crowd dynamics. With a station density 200 times that of typical areas covered by macro sites, providing reliable coverage and high-speed connectivity is no small feat. Signals from nearby macro sites often overlap, leading to network congestion and slower data speeds.
According to TRAI data, the number of porting requests (MNP) in Mumbai has reached 34.08 million at the end of July 2024, showing mobile experience of smartphone customers from major telecoms is not satisfactory. Major telecom operators present in Mumbai are Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio.
CloudExtel’s deployment between Dadar and Churchgate stations has yielded impressive results. The innovative technology has achieved an 18x boost in network performance, with data speeds soaring from a sluggish 380 Kbps to approximately 6.6 Mbps at surrounding macro sites.
CloudExtel says user throughput improved, rising to about 2.7 Mbps, resulting in a 7-fold enhancement in user experience. The payload for Mobile Network Operator (MNO) 1 increased from 4.9 TB to 8.1 TB per day, reflecting a 64 percent increase in traffic, while MNO 2 experienced a leap from 4.4 TB to 7.4 TB per day, marking a 67 percent rise in traffic. CloudExtel did not reveal the name of the telecom operators in Mumbai.
This pioneering approach not only elevates user experience of smartphone users but also promises operational efficiency. The Shared RAN model reduces the total cost of ownership (TCO) for MNOs by up to 30 percent, demonstrating its potential as a game-changing solution in urban connectivity.
A recent case study published by the Telecom Infra Project (TIP), a community focused on enhancing infrastructure solutions for connectivity, delves into the technical outcomes of CloudExtel’s Shared RAN solution. It highlights how this deployment has transformed connectivity challenges into opportunities, paving the way for global adoption of similar technologies.
David Nowicki, Ecosystem Development Advisor at TIP, praised CloudExtel’s deployment, stating, “This is a remarkable example of how neutral host models can solve complex connectivity challenges in high-density urban environments.” He emphasized the importance of sharing best practices and deployment frameworks to foster collaboration within the ecosystem.
Kunal Bajaj, CEO and Co-founder of CloudExtel, said: “We launched the Shared RAN pilot at Mumbai Central in 2022 with the aim of revolutionizing connectivity in one of the most demanding environments. Now, in 2024, our solution scale commercially and improve daily experiences for millions, from expediting ticketing processes to facilitating seamless payments for local vendors.”
With its successful implementation in Mumbai, CloudExtel is poised for broader adoption of active Shared RAN technology across airports, malls, hospitals, and other high-density venues, aiming to enhance connectivity for users worldwide.
