India's largest telecom operator selects Juniper Networks' routers for first nationwide MPLS VPN network
December 3, 2002-Juniper Networks (Sunnyvale, CA) today announced that Baharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), India's largest telecom operator, has selected Juniper Networks M-series routers for India's first nationwide IP/MPLS network. Running on an optical backbone, the network will deliver services to corporate customers across India, including those in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai.
The M20 and M40e routers were selected for their reliability, scalability and the ability to offer multiple IP services. Existing ATM and Frame Relay services will be consolidated over this IP/MPLS network to reduce operational costs, while protecting existing investments.
BSNL's selection of the M-series routers for its IP/MPLS-based network is an endorsement of the model for integrated network transformation (MINT). Key to the approach advocated by MINT is the separation of network facilities from the creation of services. Under the MINT framework, providers establish a service independent resource pool capable of supporting a range of large and small-scale services. The MPLS capabilities delivered across the router platforms enables providers to establish communities of users that can be managed as aggregated groups. High performance packet processing delivers advanced service definition and differentiation, while the policy and control layer enables dynamic user customization of services and provides the interface into business systems for billing and authentication.
By implementing this model BSNL enjoys an optimized network over which it can deliver a set of IP services with better user control, including managed VPNs, managed firewall and IPsec-based VPN services. BSNL is the largest public sector undertaking in India. Its responsibilities include the improvement of the quality of telecom services, expansion of the telecommunications network, and the introduction of new telecom services in all villages. As India's largest telecom operator BSNL's telephone infrastructure supports 42.5-million line capacity.