Nokia Delivers High-Capacity Network to India’s RailTel

Nokia completed network modernization for RailTel across India, deploying 1830 Photonic Service Switch and 7750 Service Routers for high-capacity data traffic.

Nokia Delivers High-Capacity Network to India’s RailTel
February 11, 2026 8:01 pm | Last Update: February 11, 2026 8:03 pm
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📉 Market Brief:
  • Event: Nokia completes optical network upgrade for India’s RailTel Corporation.
  • Key Data: Specific project cost and completion timeline were not disclosed.
  • Impact: Increased network capacity for national rail and metro transport systems.

Nokia has finalized the modernization of RailTel Corporation’s optical transport networks, a project covering both national long-distance lines and urban subway systems across India. The upgrade addresses growing demand for high-speed connectivity by increasing transport capacity, improving network resilience, and reducing operating costs for the state-owned telecom infrastructure company.

The core of the new architecture is Nokia’s 1830 Photonic Service Switch platform, which utilizes Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) technologies. The implementation introduced high-capacity Lambda transmissions and created dedicated express traffic lanes between cities to improve network performance. Verification data indicates the project also involved solutions from Infinera, a part of Nokia, for the implementation of Reconfigurable Optical Add-Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) devices for intelligent, software-based signal management.

To manage capital expenditure, the project reused significant portions of RailTel’s existing infrastructure. This included the activation of previously unused spectrum channels within the fiber optic network. The system was designed with an open, vendor-neutral approach to accommodate future technological developments.

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In a parallel deployment, RailTel implemented Nokia’s 7750 Service Routers. These units are integrated with Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) and Carrier-Grade NAT (CG-NAT) functions. This unified routing architecture is built to support high-speed data traffic for enterprise clients and internal Internet Service Provider (ISP) services, while also increasing the resilience of intercity data traffic.

Sanjai Kumar, President and CEO of RailTel, stated that the collaboration is “an essential step in modernizing our BNG, CG-NAT, and optical transport systems.” RailTel, a public enterprise operating under the Indian Ministry of Railways, runs a national fiber optic network and multiple data centers. The company is a key partner in national projects and has converted numerous railway stations into digital hubs with public Wi-Fi services.

The completed network enhancements are expected to enable RailTel to deliver higher-quality and more reliable services to its broadband and enterprise customer base throughout India.