Telecom Lead India: Airtel promises quality to 6 million voice and 5 million data users concurrently during peak hour, thanks to its Network Experience Center (NEC).
Bharti Airtel’s 600 switching and routing centers process 80 billion minutes of voice and 24 Petabytes of data traffic every month.
India’s largest telecom operator says this huge traffic comes from over 160,000 sites (2G, 3G & 4G), through 150,000 kms of optical backbone, via 75,000 kms of undersea cable system and connects customers globally, through 17 global PoPs for voice and data.
The NEC, inaugurated by telecom minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday, will offer better customer experience.
The NEC, the first of its kind facility in India, will monitor Airtel’s network performance across mobile, fixed line and DSL broadband, DTH, m-commerce, enterprise services, international cable systems and internet peering points from a single location.
It will monitor all Airtel and partner NOCs and in case of any emergency, the operator will have a 360 degree view of any issue, helping to prioritize actions to restore normalcy and reduce resolution time.
This continuous stream of near real time data will in turn enable Airtel to deliver a superior customer experience across its product offerings.
The NEC houses one of the biggest video walls in the world with 3600 square feet of solid state LED screen to monitor Airtel’s telecom network.
The clear span of the roof is 49 meters by 18 meters and the beams have been designed to hold the structure without columns. These beams are fireproof and about 8 feet deep.
Designed to be used as a command center in case of national emergencies and natural catastrophe, the earthquake proof facility also provides for a single control of command, and a fully redundant technology layout.
“Over the years, Airtel has been at the forefront of deploying the best technology to bring a world-class offering to customers. This new facility, sets the benchmark for telecom in South Asia, and will help us manage the layers of complex networks and technologies across our product matrix and massive scale of operations,” said Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and managing director, Bharti Airtel.
“Essentially, we will be able to analyze and deliver a seamless experience to over 200 million customers across our verticals from one location. In particular, this facility positions us to manage the expected surge in data usage on our 3G and 4G networks in years to come and deliver best-in-class experience to our customers,” Mittal added.
