National Internet Backbone (NIB, Phase II), Project 3

Background:
TCIL has been awarded the National Internet Backbone (NIB, Phase II), Project 3 involving Messaging, Storage, Provisioning, Billing, Security, Order Management, Enterprise Management, AAA, Help Desk and Inventory Management on already existing IP MPLS based IT infrastructure of the leading Telecom Operator of India in April, 2005

Scope:
The Scope of work in this project broadly includes Establishment of World class Data Centers at Bangalore (Main Data Centre), Pune (Disaster Recovery Centre), Mumbai and Delhi (Regional Data Centres). The various components of the NIB are as follows: OSS (Operation Support System) Messaging Storage Billing & Mediation EMS (Enterprise Management System) Security Solutions Access Control

Project involve deployment of various applications with associated security mechanism, details of which are as given below:

Application Management
Authentication, Authorisation, Accounting (with Proxy AAA) Business Intelligence / DB Domain Name System (Primary, Secondary, Caching) Enterprise Management System (EMS-Main & EMSEC/DM) Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP Main & Replica) Mediation Web-Portal (Frontend & Backend) Web-Hosting (Unix, Windows) Web-Mail

Security Management

Switching & Switch Server Load Balancer Firewall & Firewall Load Balancer Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS) Anti-Virus Anti-Spam Host Intrusion Detection (HIDS) Access Control Single Sign On Anti-Abuse Management

Benefits:
The project will provide state of the art IP infrastructure across the country to provide Existing Internet services and a range of new Value Added Services to the customers of the Service provider in order to maintain its leading position in the market. These services are Dialup Internet Access, Broadband Internet Access, Leased Access, Messaging, Web/Message Hosting, Web Co-location, VPN services, Video-conferencing, Video on Demand, Duration and Volume based billing, Pre-paid and Post paid billing etc.

Fiber to the Home

SUPPLY, INSTALLATION & MAINTENACE OF FTTH / FTTB EQUIPMENTS AND OPTICAL FIBER CABLE IN KUWAIT
Ministry of Communication, State of Kuwait has issued Letter of Intent for Supply, Installation and maintenance of Telephone Networks using Alcatel, France GPON technology according to latest ITU Recommendations (G984.1, 2,3 & 4) and Taihan, Korea OSP optical Fiber Network with accessories for New Housing Areas and Rehabilitation of current Telephone Networks.

Partners :
1. M/s Alcatel For FTTH equipment source. 2. M/s Taihan Electric Wire Co. Ltd. Korea For optical fiber cables & passive Optical Network Products.

Area of Work :
LOI is issued to commence work in 6 areas as follows 1. South Doha (New Area) 2. Sabah Al-Nasser (New Area) 3. Abdullah Al-Mubarak (West Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh) (New Area) 4. East Sulaibikhat (Phase 2-New Area) 5. Rabia (Rehabilitation of old Area) 6. Eshbilia (New Area)

Scope of work :
Supply, Installation & Maintenance of Telephone PON (Passive Optical Network) FTTH / FTTB equipment with Fiber Optic Cables with all necessary material which shall include all basic services (Narrow Band) in addition to value added services (Broad Band). The system shall be capable to support triple play services (voice, data & video). The required PON network shall be the latest G-PON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) technology.

Gigabit PON (GPON) An Introduction:

A new solution has emerged into the optical access market place GPON (Gigabit PON), offering unprecedented high bit rate support while enabling transport of multiple services, specifically data and TDM, in native formats and at an extremely high efficiency. The main requirements as mentioned in ITU documents can be summarized as follows: Full Service Support including voice (TDM, both SONET and SDH), Ethernet (10/100 BaseT), ATM, leased lines and more. Physical reach of at least 20 km with a logical reach support within the protocol of 60 km. Strong Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM&P) capabilities offering end to end service management. Security at the protocol level for downstream traffic due to the multicast nature of PON.

FTTH - System Architecture:

Alcatels Fiber to the User (FTTU) solutions allow operators to extend the core optical network all the way to the user, eliminating the bandwidth bottleneck in the last mile. The solution support both residential and small business customers, offering unprecedented voice, video and data over a single fiber. The Alcatel 7342 Intelligent Services Access Manager Fiber to the User (ISAM FTTU) is a fully standards- compliant Gigabit passive optical network (GPON) solution with twice as much throughput as other Passive optical network (PON) solutions.

Next Generation Network (NGN):

Next Generation Network is a packet-based network to provide telecommunication services, makes use of technologies in which service-related multiple broadband QoS-enabled transport functions are independent from underlying transport-related technologies. It supports generalised mobility which will allow consistent and ubiquitous provision of services to users. Interworking with legacy networks via open interfaces Converged services between Fixed/Mobile Compliant with all regulatory requirements; for example concerning emergency communications, security, privacy, lawful interception.

TCILs Proposed Network

Initial deployment proposal consisted of a full end to end turnkey project including: Implementation of an IP/MPLS backbone data transport equipment. NGN network composed of: MGCF and AGCF functions for H248 call control providing a full set of Class 4 and Class 5 voice services Trunking GWs for transparent connectivity between PSTN and IP Media Server (MRF) for access to tones and announcement resources Overall Centralized network management

The above figure depicts target solution in compliance with IMS/TISPAN.

The solution provides a user centric Broadband services delivery environment having the flexibility to grow in both mobile and fixed services as well as cost effective migration of installed base.

FIBER TO THE DESK (FTTD)

INTRODUCTION
A Government of Kuwait owned institution intended to have its own building. The objective was to bring them all under a single roof, with required infrastructure, with the state-of-the-art networking and other facilities. Needless to say selected the best in the business, not only from Kuwait but also from different parts in the world, which comprised of consultants, contractors and equipments. TCIL became an obvious choice in the field of telecom and data installation because of the excellent reputation earned in Kuwait. Media selection was a contentious issue. In the recent past we have seen technology developments, from contention to connectionbased, from routed to switched, from low-speed to high speed data connection and we find that, the change is phenomenal. Tomorrows networks will run faster, support a greater number of applications and provide service to an increasing number of geographically diverse users. With network requirements changing constantly, it is important to employ a cabling system that can keep up with the demand. One media that provides utility-like service is optical fiber as the transmission backbone on fiber, can meet the challenge of future with only changes of terminal equipments. In the local area network (LAN), fiber cabling has been deployed as the primary media for building the backbone links, offering high-speed connections between diverse LAN segments. Today, with increasingly sophisticated applications, it is time to consider optical fiber only as the primary media to provide data services to the desktop.

Fiber To-The-Desk (FTTD), used for Data Communications, to interconnect workstations in the premises with the servers and among themselves is the technology, used in building. This is one of the best networks of its kind under the same roof, and the largest such network connecting 4000 workstations in the Middle East.

A typical Telecom Closet

Multi mode optical fiber cable was deployed for this network. The idea was to connect the user directly from the desktop, or, workgroup to the centralized network electronics. There are no active components at floor level. Connections are made between horizontal and riser cables through splice points or interconnect centers located in a Telecom Closet (TC). Also, multi-fiber cables (24, 12 etc fibers) are used to support multiple users, providing backbone connections to workgroups in a modular office environment. There are a total of 24 floors at the building. A Telecom closet (TC) is designated, mostly, to cater to the requirements of few floors. All the horizontal cables cables from work station outlet to the TC are brought through hose pipe, then to a cable tray in the raised floor.

REASONS FOR USING TELECOM CLOSET (TC)

Cable trays with OFC beneath the raised floor

A centralized cabling network design provides the benefits of a collapsed networkcondensed electronics and more efficient use of chassis and rack spaces. By providing one central location for all network electronics, maintenance is simplified, troubleshooting time reduced and security is enhanced. Movements, additions and changes are addressed easily for any modification in the network and equipment. Centralized cabling is described by the Technical Service Bulletin, TIA/EIA TSB 72, which recommends a maximum distance of 300 meters to allow Gigabit applications to be supported. The horizontal cables are spliced to vertical cables, which run into Server Farm room. The vertical cables are run from different Telecom Closet (TC) Rooms to Central Farm Room, not in as single path but in, two different paths, around the two ends of the building. The purpose is to save half of the network, at least, in the event of any unforeseen hazards, for example fire, and ensure a fail safe mechanism. All the vertical cables, brought to Server Room, from two different directions, are spliced and terminated on patch panels.

EVOLVING STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY

Server Farm Room Fiber Concentration

Over the past years, several new products have been developed that will aid in the deployment of optical fiber-to-the-desk. Till date, the standards committees are evaluating new, higher performance optical components that offer increased performance, and ease of installation at lower costs. Among some of these exciting developments are Small-Form-Factor Connectors (SFFC), Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSEL) and nextgeneration fiber. Advancements in fiber connectors are continuing

to make fiber as a flexible and viable solution as copper. Traditionally, fiber systems required twice as many connectors as copper cablingcrowding telecommunication closets with additional patch panels and electronics. Recently, manufacturers have introduced small-form-factor connectors that provide twice as many connectors in the same space as previous fiber connectors. These mini-fiber connectors hold the send and receive fibers in one housing. This reduces the space required for a fiber connection. More importantly, it decreases the footprint required on the hubs and switches for fiber transceivers. The net result is a cost reduction nearly four times to that of a conventional fiber system. Complimenting the SmallForm-Factor Connectors (SFFC) components are new vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSEL). This fiber optic transmission source combines the power and bandwidth of a laser at the lower cost of a light-emitting diode (LED). VCSELs, when integrated into SFFC transceivers, allow for the development of higher-speed, higher-bandwidth optical systems, further extending the reach and capability of the FTTD cable system.

Ebene Cyber city Project Mauritius

TCIL has successfully executed a cabling infrastructure work in State of the art Information Technology Knowledge Park in Mauritius called Ebnene Cybercity. The network in the Cyber City has been built by TCIL with 55 KMs of Optical fibre cables absolutely splice free. Direct connectorisation technique has been used to connectorise over 4400 nos of SC type optical connectors. On site optical connectorisation of this kind, perhaps, is the first in any technology parks in the world. This technique not only replaces the conventional pigtails but also achieves an extremely low connector loss thereby providing a comfortable power budgeting.

CONCLUSION
Structured cabling systems that employ fiber for horizontal links as well as the backbone, offer network designers significant advantages like more flexible designs, less space consumption, increased security and easier troubleshooting. Fibers low attenuation and immunity to electromagnetic interference make it the ideal media for todays network. Its high bandwidth provides a path for the cabling system to expand as network demands dictatewithout recalling. Recent developments in fiber optics include: Enhanced glass design to accommodate high-speed transmission Smaller-size connectors that save space and lower cost Vertical cavity surface emitting laser technology for high-speed transmission over longer distances at low cost A vast array of new support hardware designed for Fiber Zone Cabling for FTTD, (Fiber-to-the-Desk) is a cost-effective design that utilizes fiber in todays low-speed network while providing a simple migration strategy for tomorrows high-speed connections. Fiber-to the- desk combines the best attributes of a copper-based network (low-cost electronics) with the best of fiber (superior physical characteristics and upgradability) to provide unequaled network service and reliability. TCIL has mastered this technology by designing and implementing the Fiber to the Desk (FTTD) solution for the most prestigious landmark in Kuwait and look forward for many such projects in the Middle East. TCIL hope to do more projects in coming years in such type of ultra modern and intelligent buildings.

Cyber Park Consultancy

A Cyber or Science and Technology Park according to the International Association of Science and Technology Parks (IASP) is An organization managed by specialized professionals, whose main aim is to increase the wealth of its community by promoting the culture of innovation and the competitiveness of its associated businesses and knowledge-based institutions. To enable these goals to be met, a Cyber Park stimulates and manages the exchange of knowledge and technology amongst universities, R&D institutions, companies and markets; it facilitates the creation and growth of innovation-based companies through incubation and spin-off processes; and provides other value-added services together with high quality facilities. Cyber parks play a significant role in stimulating national IT development and establishing logical links with the global market through forging partnership for developing information and telecommunication technologies. Cyber Park is catalyst to develop the business infrastructure for such a mission. Cooperation between the Government and the private industry is critical for achieving the goal of Cyber Park, in order to integrate information and services and allow the easy exchange of information. The implementation effort should be comprehensive in involving the private sector and clearly identifying the role and position in the overall process.

Business Incubation
Business incubation is a dynamic process for development of Business enterprise. The incubators deal with small start-up firms and helping them to survive and grow during the startup period when they are most vulnerable. Incubators provide hands-on management assistance, access to financing and orchestrated exposure to critical business or technical support services. The incubators provide entrepreneurial firms for shared office services, access to equipment, flexible leases and expandable space etc. from single window.

The goal of an incubation program is to produce successful graduates and promote businesses that are financially viable when they leave the incubator, usually in two to three years time frame. Thirty percent of incubator clients typically graduate each year. Like venture capitalists, incubators impose selection criteria upon prospective clients. Some accept a mix of industries, but others concentrate on industry niches. Incubator clients are at the forefront of developing new and innovative technologies creating products and services that improve the quality of our lives on a small scale today, and on a much grand scale tomorrow. The IT division of Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) provides consultancy and undertakes turnkey jobs in the field of Software Development, Data Communication, Message Switching Systems and Real Time Systems. Recently, TCIL-IT division has entered new domains of expertise in the field of Cyber City/ Technology parks, by taking up the work of consultancy for developing the Cyber Parks in Sudan and Algeria.

About Sudan Electronic City

The Ministry of Science and Technology, (MOST) Republic of Sudan has selected Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) for undertaking the feasibility study & conceptual design for the proposed Sudan Electronic City (SEC) in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. TCIL has undertaken the various activities required for the project and completed it within the stipulated time frame. The report was presented to H.E. Minister of Science & Technology, Republic of Sudan in a function held in Khartoum Minister of Science & Technology, Sudan has expressed heartiest appreciation to TCIL for the excellent work done by TCIL team to complete the project within the stipulated time frame. TCIL has adopted a phase wise approach to study and analyze the various factors affecting such initiative. In the process, desk research, study of documentation including the views of individual stakeholders in the city has been taken into account.

CMD, TCIL presenting the final report to H.E Minister of Science & Technology, Sudan

TCIL has started by defining the mission and vision for the proposed city. This enabled us to set the goal and boundaries for the remaining study.

-MISSIONTo develop Human resources and encourage the interaction and operation amongst various entities for self reliance and self sustainability through research and application of advanced technologies and providing world class infrastructure, technology transfer and conducive environment while nurturing individual's capacity to think skillfully, creatively and critically thus raising qualities essential to lead humane and productive lives in the society

The study includes the study of local industries and environment. In addition to the analysis of local industries, a study was conducted on the effects of similar initiatives in other developing countries like India, China, Malaysia and Egypt. Proposed Sudan Electronic City will act the One Stop Solution by providing single point interface between the Government and Industry. The growth of infrastructure sector is likely to be exponential as a result of massive construction activities for the proposed SEC. The detailed design of the various facilities along with Incubator and convention center will be the next step for taking the project further. The proposed Science Park would require stimulating and managing the flow of knowledge and technology amongst universities, R&D institutions, companies and markets. It will also facilitate the creation and growth of innovation based companies through incubation and spin-off processes and provisioning of other value added services as well as high quality space and facilities.

Birds eye view of the Sudan Electronic City shown through a Model

The Sudan Electronic City is to act as a catalyst for the development of ICT within the region providing desired impetus to the economic revolution that is taking place in the country.

CYBER PARK - MPTIC ALGERIA

Ministry of Post and Technologies for Information and Communication (MPTIC), Algeria has intended to develop a Cyber Park at Sidi Abdellah with futuristic vision to promote the utility of Cyber Park as well as the area surroundings it. The buildings have been designed as landmark buildings in the area keeping in view space for accommodating new operators/agencies. The intelligent building systems have been built in the architectural design to make it more secure, better motivated, energy efficient and comfortable workplace. Intelligent Building technologies are integral part of the building design, for operations and maintenance in the various area as under: Fire and Life Safety Systems; Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems (HVAC) Management; Elevators and Escalators; Access Control Systems and Security Systems; Lighting Management & Communications available To Occupants/ Tenants The advantages of these applications are further highlighted by the benefits vis-a-vis increasing costs of building ownership and operations, which include; Rising Energy Costs (Averaging About 3% Per Annum); Increased Labor Costs; And Changing Work Patterns.

TCIL has planned the Cyber Park complex considering broadband applications that require high bandwidth, like high-speed Internet access, video streaming, mobile access, 3G, VOIP etc in a progressive manner. TCIL has suggested that all these applications will require high bandwidth, which can be met only by optical fibre that should be laid as the backbone network of the campus, in a ring configuration. The Telecom & IT network in the Cyber Park has been designed by TCIL with a view to have a centralized switching network at Telecom Complex, which will have Telephone exchange to cater to the voice communications needs of entire Cyber Park and a Data Centre to host various applications etc.

Site Layout at Algeria Cyber Park Project

The Incubator Building in Cyber Park has been conceived with a provision for horizontal expansion in the future. Network has been designed for very large bandwidth requirement of the order of gigabits. TCIL has proposed to improvise the concept of Business Incubation in order to create a congenial atmosphere for imbibing the spirit of entrepreneurs to enter into a business venture and sustain it over a period of time. The Model of Incubator Building of Cyber Park of MPTIC Algeria Incubator Building will facilitate entrepreneurs to get the modern Telecommunication & Data access from a single place.

Model of Incubator Building of Cyber Park of MPTIC Algeria

Robust, Scalable Broadband Local Area Network (LAN) architecture with Gigabit Ethernet in the backbone has been planned in the building to facilitate broadband and high-speed access. The business space earmarked for the entrepreneurs will have broadband connectivity for different kinds of high-speed data transmission. Software development, design collaboration, video streaming will use broadband and high-speed connection, which the conceived network shall be able to deliver To make the building more secure, better monitored and comfortable workplace energy efficient, features of intelligent building will be incorporated like access control, lighting control, air-conditioning control, round the clock monitoring for security. All the users in the building will be connected with a network through Cat 6 structured cabling methods. The entrepreneurs can use the suitably earmarked business space available on hiring basis to get broadband access for voice, video and data communication in a plug & play mode

E-Governance
Background:
Government of India took initiative for utilizing IT for the betterment of common man and has identified certain e-governance applications for the purpose. These application broadly relate to building e-Governance strategy Capacity, e-Governance Implementation Capacity and building Infrastructure for eGovernance Implementation.

Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN):

TCIL as a consultant has established Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN) for the Government of Gujarat, creating a backbone for E-Governance for the whole State. GSWAN is based on open standards, is scalable and has high capacity Network to carry Voice, Data and Video traffic between designated Government of Gujarat offices at State, District and Taluka levels. The connectivity to end-user is based on standard leased circuits, dial-up circuits or using Ethernet ports as appropriate for the individual offices. Single point Gateway with adequate capacity for Internet and provision for connecting other existing Networks have also been set up.

Tripura Wide Area Network:

TCIL has carried out the feasibility study for Government of Tripura for providing State Wide Area Network connecting all Govt. Departments in different districts, sub-districts & blocks. The activity includes study of present infrastructure, demand assessment and network design. The proposed Wide Area Network (WAN) is to be used for accessing Internet, providing phone hot lines, Video Conference, Distance Education, e-mail and various services to citizen viz. Issue of registration certificates, Birth & Death Certificates etc.

Karnataka State Wide Area Network (KSWAN):

TCIL is currently doing consultancy for Karnataka State Wide Area Network for Government of Karnataka. The consultancy includes, i) Preparation of Project Report with users requirement analysis, different technologies comparison, tangible & intangible benefits and cost estimates, ii) Evaluation of vendors based on their capabilities/ experience, iii) Preparation of tender document and evaluation of bids, iv) Preparation of Contract with service level agreement and v) Monitoring the implementation & Acceptance Testing till commissioning. The Project is proposed on Build Own Operate & Transfer (BOOT) basis

Download E-Governance Brochure

OPGW (OPTICAL FIBRE OVER GROUND WIRE)

TClL has mult million USD OPGW Projects in Algeria for replacement of ground wire of the HT transmission system with OPGW under live line conditions on existing 40 nos 220 KV power transmission lines. These 220KV power transmission line cover a total distance of about 3000 Kms and pass through terrorist infested areas in mountains, forests and deserts of all the 42 wilayas (districts) spanning Algeria. OPGW stands for Optical Ground Wire. The characteristic of the Optical Fibre is that there is no effect of high voltage induction on the data being transmitted through the Fibres. Hence this characteristic of the Fibre is exploited to transmit the data along the high power transmission lines. High Voltage Power Transmission (400/220 KV etc.) runs along the countryside over very long distances. The huge towers used for this purpose usually have 6 power-carrying conductors and one thin wire running on top of the towers, called the Ground Wire. Its function is to protect the power conductors against lightning strikes. During thunderstorms lightning hits are common on these towers and conductors, as they are the highest conducting structures present in the area. The Ground Wire being the highest conductor on the tower, grounded properly, attracts the lightning way from the power conductors and towers onto itself and safely discharges the current to the ground. An OPGW Cable is a special type of Ground Wire in which Optical Fibres are also embedded along with ground wire during manufacturing process to provide a high capacity data channel for communication purposes. Thus it helps in providing dual functions of Earth Wire and Optical Fibres which can be used for high bandwidth data transmission.

 OPGW provides a relatively low cost solution to provide Communication and Data backbone trunks. As the Power Transmission Company has right of way for its towers it need not acquire land to lay down the fibre optic cable. No digging, trenching, filling etc. is required as the cable is laid high in the air and not under ground. This is especially advantageous in hilly, marshy, rocky terrain. The cable is not damaged by human or animal actions as it is out of reach of both of them. The cable is well protected by a bundle of strong steel or aluminum conductors. Wherever the towers have Ground wires the new cable can be laid under live conditions i.e. power need not be switched off. Only in the absence of Original Ground Wire, power needs to be switched off to lay the conductors. OPGW provides Power Companies an opportunity to use their towers for other purpose than power transmission. They for a small investment can provide Extremely High Capacity Links to the Telecom sector. As Power Companies have sub-stations all along the route equipment installation space, power supply, security is also available for the communication equipment. Same optical equipment can be used as in case of underground optical fibre cables. The data transmission capacity can be increased as and when needed by just upgrading the optical fibre equipment. The fibre once installed remains the same for its lifetime of around 40 years.

However it may be noted that OPGW installation increases the weight and tension load on the towers so tower reliability, life span may get reduced, if proper engineering study is not done. Some towers may need to be replaced, refitted, reinforced etc during the process. Altogether OPGW is an additional advantage to provide high bandwidth along with the installation works of power cables. The additional expenses are very less as most of the expenses are covered under installation works of power lines. Hence it is a boon to the telecom and IT sector for cheap and reliable media for transmission purposes. The power companies on their part get extra revenue for a small investment. About UsProjectsServicesInformationOrganisationBoard of DirectorsOur PresenceQuality PolicyAwardsJoint VenturesFinancial HighlightsTelecommunicationsInformation Technology & NetworkingCivil & ArchitectureConsultancy Turn Key Implementation Training Telecom ConsultancyIT ConsultancyArchitecture ConsultancyLatest News Press Releases

Postal Services Automation

The strengths in adopting appropriate technologies to postal applications combine the expertise, excellence and experience of TCIL to offer postal consultancy and turnkey projects worldwide to share mutual experiences with postal administrations and provide complete postal solutions - in an era where the communication market, technologies, regulations and requirements are fast changing. TCIL is supported by INDIA POST to offer total postal solutions worldwide, by sharing mutual experiences with postal administrations. TCIL offers its consultancy towards the following:

Total computerization of Post offices Financial, Organisational and Operational restructuring of Postal Services Customised software for Postal Operation, Postal Banking and Money Transfers Automatic Mail Processing Systems Satellite and Terrestrial Networking Design & Development of new products and services Training & Support services

TCIL has gained substantial expertise with the completion of the pilot project for computerization of post offices in Tashkent, Uzbekistan with customized software in Russian language. In its endeavor to provide world class modernization impetus to postal operations, TCIL provides consultancy in various fields of Postal Consultancy to PAN AFRICAN POSTAL UNION, for its 43 member countries in Africa. TCIL promises whole-hearted support in providing appropriate Postal technologies to member countries, with minimal investment, to maximize the gains of a modern and vibrant post.

Software & Solutions offered by TCIL for Postal Automation:

Counter Automation for Post Offices:

A complete suite of software solution, easy to learn and easy to deploy, for all post office functions, and contains modules on Point of Sale, Accounts, Sub-Accounts, Treasury, Registered Delivery, Money Order payments and MIS reporting. The software facilitates all postal transactions in a network environment on computer-based multipurpose counter, attached with printers, weighing scales and bar code scanners...

All counter services at a single window Cuts down waiting time for customers Prompt and error-free service Facilitates introduction of new services seamlessly Customizable to any requirements and language Also integrates back office functions Provides all MIS reports of the Post Office

Postal Banking
A comprehensive Savings Bank software offering total Postal Banking solutions...

Complete Savings Bank, Time Deposits through Post Office counters On-line remote banking capability Daily matching of all transactions with Post Office Cash Books Daily "audit" tally of all accounts and transactions in the back office Security against frauds, misuse and data pilferage Context-sensitive self-help and on-line tutor MIS reporting

VSAT Money Order Service

VSAT based Money Order transfers provides reach to the deep rural interiors via satellite over a countrywide VSAT network. The software is networked, running on un-manned server stations, promising......

Many Order booking and printing receipts Authorization of MO transmission over VSAT Printing of received Money Orders On-line audit of payments against receipts On-line acknowledgements Management Information System Reports Transmission of Money Orders 500% faster than manual mode. Service and Operation costs are very low

Mail Processing
TCIL provides consultancy and take-up turn-key projects for setting up Automatic Mail Processing Systems to collect, segregate, transport and deliver anywhere in the country within 24 to 48 hours. Focused management, guiding supervision and simplified procedures are adopted for segregating time-sensitive articles of mail from the moment these are received from the customers.

Customer Care and After Sales

An effective system of customer care, after sales service and redressal of public grievances adopts measures for total customer satisfaction. Prime among these measures are...

Track and Trace a web based application Senior Citizens Counters Customer Information System On-line Helpdesk

E-Post - The next generation post that combines e-mail and traditional post connecting those who are inside the "Net" to those who are not connected.

Benefits

Those who are within the World Wide Web can avail the advantage of electronic communication. This electronic communication can be sent to those who are not having connectivity. The customer would be able to get his mail from anywhere in the Globe in a very short time

E-Bill Post - "Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment system" for collection, Consolidation and Settlement of public utility bills electronically between the service provider and his customer through the Post Office.

Benefits

Collection data accessible to the Biller at any time. The Service Provider can get the payment settled from one source. It is possible for the citizen to pay his bills from anywhere either in the same city or in another city.

Download Postal Services Brochure

TCIL Bhawan - An Intelligent Building

TClL did the architectural design & engineering, and constructed two twin towers for creating ultramodern office infrastructure for TClL and VSNL, in an area of 100,000 square ft. The TCIL Bhawan building is designed and equipped as an Intelligent Building, to take into account the requirements of a modern corporate office of a multinational company.

An Intelligent Building provides a productive, cost effective environment through optimization of structure, systems, services and management as well as inter-relationship between them. The following are the main subsystems of the intelligent building provided in the TClL Bhawan:

Access Control System Building Management System Closed Circuit Television Fire Alarm System Public Address system Uninterrupted Power Supply Communication and IT Network Rain Water Harvesting

Access Control System

Access Control System is for Management & Control of the staff and visitors to the building, Monitoring entry and exit timings and Attendance record of the employees thus relating it with leave record of employees, which in turn help in automating the preparation of salary. Access Control is provided with Access Control Cards with photo identity for higher security. All employees of TClL have been provided with the Access Control Cards. The visitors are also provided the access control Cards during their visit to TCIL.

Building Management System

Building Management System (BMS) is meant for saving energy and maintenance costs. It also creates productive, cost effective environment through optimization of systems, services and management. It carries out the temperature and humidity control, measurement and control of electrical parameters viz. Voltage, Current, Power, monitoring and control of various water pumps, switching on/off of compound light based on outside light level, etc. It also provides graphical display of the various Heating, Ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) / Electrical parameters/ Water system parameters (like water level in tanks, running condition of pumps etc).

Closed Circuit Television

Closed Circuit Television is provided for surveillance through outdoor/ indoor cameras at different locations inside and outside the buildings. These typically include Building entry, Main gate, Power station, Parking area, Reception area and Lift lobby. The cameras are equipped with Pan,Tilt, Zoom facility as well as continuous recording facility. Inputs from all cameras are fed to a Multiplexer through which the output of each camera can be viewed on CCTV monitor in defined interval.

Fire Alarm System

State of the art Fire Alarm system is provided throughout the building and is equipped with Smoke Detectors, Water Sprinkler System and Central Addressable Control Panel. During any Fire breakout, the water starts dropping from the sprinkler system and as a result the water pressure in the tanks drops thus starting the water pumps. Three types of pumps (Jockey pump, Main pump, Diesel pumps) are available and depending upon the water pressure and power availability these pumps start automatically.

Public Address System

The entire TClL Bhawan is divided into different Zones. Public Address System available at TClL Bhawan can be chosen for individual zones or a combination of zones for Public address / Music playing etc. Music system, CD changer/Audio Cassette Deck

are available in the Building Management System (BMS) room. Soft music can also be played on this system, to create a soothing and pleasant atmosphere.

Uninterrupted Power Supply

On line Uninterrupted Power Supply has been provided with necessary backup.. Each workstation has been provided with two UPS points which takes care of power break downs for uninterrupted operations, and also reduces Maintenance costs.

Communication
A state of art Digital PABX has been provided with E1 Connectivity, Direct Inward Dialing, Non Blocking Call Handling, Voice Mail Boxes for all the floors in TClL Bhawan. The CLIP calling line Identification and Presentation facility, enables display of the callers name in case of intra office or the calling telephone number in case of incoming call from public network.

TCIL Internet and Data Centre

A local Area Network (LAN) is established with structured cabling to work in all the floors including basement, Equipments such as Routers, Switches, Hubs, Servers etc. are installed in the building and Data Centre is established in TClL Bhawan. Always-on Internet Connectivity to all Internet users for which leased line connectivity is provided between TClL Bhawan and ISP. The network is further upgraded the existing network with wide, closed user group and secure network. With a step towards paperless office, a faster authenticated and secure communication amongst the offices of TCIL in India and abroad and E-mail facility is extended to all TCIL employees. Data Centre has centrally managed Information at TCIL HQ and is available globally at all TCIL offices in India and abroad through Internet.

TCIL Intranet & Data Centre consists of Server Farm having Firewall, Mail/Proxy, Web/DNS, Antivirus, NT, SCO Unix and Novell Netware (Finance) Servers Firewall Server provides security against unauthorized external access. It facilitates creation of a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ area) where servers allowing external access like Mail, Web and DNS Servers are kept Mail Server is the mailing server that provides e-mail services to unlimited number of users with dynamic mailbox sizes. Proxy Server monitors and controls the access to Internet as per defined policies. It also caches the most frequently accessed web pages and thus results in faster browsing. Web server hosts TCILs website and services can be extended to other organizations. It also provides protected access to TCIL Intranet i.e. TCIL Information System (TIS) portal. TCIL employees across the world can securely access TCIL Information System (TIS) Intranet. Enterprise Antivirus Server provides enterprise wide Antivirus Security against virus attacks, worms and malicious codes and regularly updates the virus definitions. It protects the critical servers and desktops. NT Servers: Primary Domain Controller (PDC) and Backup Domain Controller.(BDC) Servers running Windows NT 4 network

operating system that provide network connectivity to TCIL users. TCIL Information System (TIS), HRD package (EMPOWER), Personal Information System (PIS) and TCIL Library Information packages are resident on this server. Oracle Database Server as development tool for in-house development of RDBMS packages is also loaded on this Server. Finance Server is used for hosting TCILs critical financial packages like Financial Accounting System, Project Accounting System, Asset Accounting System, and Payroll etc. for exclusive use by finance division.

Conference Room
A Modern Conference Room has been provided in the TClL Bhawan. Different types of Projection system, motorized screen, Panasonic board with print facility, VCR, Audio Deck with amplifier, hand held mikes, Collar mikes, and, spread-over speaker are provided in the conference room.

RAINWATER HARVESTING
Rain water that falls on ground and roof tops of building is guided to the collection pits through channels and drains in the compound to to recharge underground aquifers (water holding rocks and soil) thereby raising the water table and hence yield of the tube-wells in the vicinity. Total annual input in TCIL compound - 3000 Cum, total rain input harvested by the plant - 2000 Cum and percentage of rain input harvested - 70.

Improves quality of ground water as filtered water is recharged. Raise the water levels in the wells and bore-wells that are drying up Saves energy in lifting of water due to higher water table Increases under ground water availability Reduces soil erosion and choking of drains

Kisan (Farmer) Call Center

BACKGROUND
To address the need of farming community, making use of increased tele-density and Information Technology.

Scope
Providing consultancy to examine various technological Options, modalities, issues, procedures, implementation plan, cost estimates, etc and to submit a Report to DAC along with the Request For Proposal (RFP) document to establish Kisan Call Centers throughout the Country.

Benefits :
Strengthening Agriculture Information System of Ministry of Agriculture, by making the knowledge available to farmers at their doorstep, on a Toll free telephone number (1551). Putting the farmers directly in contact with Agriculture experts. Making authentic field data available for Agriculture Policy decisions.

Key Facts
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Languages supported - 22 Call Center Seats - 144 (Started with 84) Locations - 25 (Started with 8) Live Response - 6 AM to 10 PM IVR Response - 10 PM to 6 AM Days of Operation - 7 Days a week

Download KCC Brochure

Development & Implementation of EPayment System of Department of Telecom

Department of Telecom (DoT), Government of India, has decided to receive payments electronically as E-Receipts as per the decision of the Telecom Commission. For this purpose, DoT has decided to develop and implement an E-Payment System in order to enable its customers to fill E-Challans on its website and make online or offline payment using the E-Challan. DoT has assigned the job of implementing the proposed EPayment System to TCIL in two phases. In the first phase, TCIL has prepared the System Requirement Specifications (SRS) for the proposed E-Payment System of DoT. In the second phase, TCIL has completed development of the E-Payment System for DoT as per the SRS. TCIL will implement the system once DoT is ready with the hosting infrastructure. Currently, DoT receives License Fees, Spectrum Charges, Royalty, WPC receipts and other revenue receipts like processing fees, entry fees etc. in the form of Demand Drafts only. The E-Payment System, once implemented, will enable the licensee/ subscribers/ other customers to fill an E-Challan online for each type of payment and make electronic payment either online using the SBI Internet Banking System, Credit Card (Visa or Mastercard) using SBI Visa/Mastercard Payment Gateway, or offline using electronic funds transfer facilities like RTGS, NEFT, SBI Core Banking etc. from a Bank using the E-Challan. The E-Payment System will handle automatic reconciliation of the receipt transactions to be received electronically from SBI on daily basis and provide the necessary revenue receipt related information online to the users of various sections of DoT. The E-Payment System has interface with SBIs payment gateway for online payment by its customers and with the PAO-2000 system developed by NIC for Pay and Accounts Offices of Government of India which has also been implemented in DoT.

TCIL is now geared up to take up development and implementation of similar E-Payment Application System projects for other Government Departments in the country.

Consultancy Services for the preparation of an Information Plan (IP) for Crime Occurrence Tracking System (COTS)
INTRODUCTION
TCIL successfully completed consultancy services of an IP for COTS for Mauritius Police Force (MPF) project in Mauritius, first of its kind, on 12th September 2005. The purpose of this project was to examine the current flow of activities of the MPF and to investigate the areas linked to Crime Occurrence Tracking that will benefit from computerisation. The IP was aimed at streamlining processes and recommending appropriate Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) solutions in terms of suitable hardware as well as application, system software and communication facilities for a more effective and efficient tracking of crime occurrences in the country. The study addressed the computerisation of the core functionalities of MPF, especially those that are crime related. The working interface between the MPF and other public sector bodies (Judiciary, National Transport Authority, Prime Ministers Office, and others) and cross-departmental databases (such as the Central Population Database) in terms of the similarity of information handled was also taken into account while developing the information plan. The study covered interactions/ meetings with MPF officers at Police Stations, Divisional Headquarters and Police Headquarter. The scope of the study was as follows: 1. Identifying information needs (both internal and external) for the Customer. 2. Study of existing procedures/ processes, legal and institutional frameworks and make recommendations for subsequent review. 3. A full assessment and evaluation of existing Information and

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Communication Technologies (ICT) infrastructure for the MPF. Propose alternative solutions and their feasibility (including cost-benefit analysis) for the proposed computerisation Provide time frames for the implementation of the computerisation plan. Propose means for linking of different sites required through a high capacity and secure network. Propose hardware and system software as well as application software to meet the requirements of the Customer. Make recommendations on the security aspect of the proposed system. Benchmark the proposed system with other organisations having a similar system

10. Work out human resource development programmes including training needs analysis, training of different category of staff and post training evaluation. 11. Recommend how the Crime Occurrence Tracking System will be linked to the systems in the Judiciary and the Prisons Department to form an Integrated Justice Information System (IJIS). The main objectives, which were to be addressed, were as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. Computerisation of Occurrence Book & Master Registers Tracking of movement of case file/ dossier Generation of Statistical Information Maintain confidentiality and provide accessibility of information to authorised officers.

TCIL has completed the project within scheduled time of 12 weeks.

SDH Optical Fiber ring network in Mauritius

TCIL has undertaken state of art Synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) Telecommunications project for Mauritius Telecom with optical fibre cables and SDH equipment installed in a failsafe ring configuration. The company has provided more than 150,000 subscriber connections for Mauritius Telecom. It has also constructed around 800 Kms of Telecom ducts, pulled more than 2500 Km of Telecom cables and constructed around 5500 man holes and 20000 DPs. These works constitute a major share of Telecom infrastructure in Mauritius. The company has also stood by Mauritius Telecom during four cyclones since 1994 the Hollanda (1994), Davina (1999), Dina (2002) and Gerry (2003), helping Mauritius Telecom to restore its Telecom services swiftly. TCILs action as a responsible corporate won high praise from the Mauritius Government. In addition to the SDH fibre ring project TCIL has also provided consultancy services to Mauritius Telecom for the implementation of network planning software from ITU, Geneva, implemented LANs for Government of Mauritius and also implemented cabling infrastructure for Ebne cyber city for business parks of Mauritius limited.

Supply and supervision of SDH M/W system for Ethiopia.

As a result of strict adherence to quality standards, and committed manpower, TCIL has been involved with major Telecommunications project in Ethiopia. The projects varied from SDH/PDH Microwave transmission system, Inter Exchange SDH ransmission system, Digital UHF, VSAT Antennae system, Solar system for rural exchanges and outside plant cable network. Project for SDH/PDH Microwave transmission system for Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (ETC) was undertaken in association with Itochu Corporation and Fujitsu of Japan. The work involved supply and supervision for establishing of SDH/PDH Microwave system at 27 locations on three routes. The work involved power plant, microwave towers including tower foundation management, tower erection, hoisting of feeder cables. The project was completed in one year over the difficult terrain and as a result of this implementation ETC awarded other project involving supply & installation of SDH Microwave and fibre optic system along with the associated power plant, tower and antenna system for interconnecting 14 exchanges in Addis Abba area.

VALUE ADDED SERVICES In Telecom Domain

The strengths in adopting appropriate TCIL has been contributing to its business in Telecom domain through implementation of various value added services (VAS) to enhance the profitability and productivity. TCIL has been continuously working to identify new tools to add value to the existing offerings of the Telecom service providers. Some of the work undertaken by TCIL are as follows:

Billing and Customer Care Systems

First billing system was developed in COBOL for fixed line subscribers. TCIL has further implemented state of the art billing systems and OSS for all the needs of the Telcos based on robust Relational Data Base Management System (RDBMS). Billing and customer care centre, mediation, pre-paid and post-paid systems and implemented it for a GSM Network. Other billing systems that TCIL has successfully implemented for its clients in the recent past include:

Setting up of customer billing system for a Telecom operator. Subscriber line management system and mediation, billing and accounting system for Public Telecom Corporation. Setting up of integrated billing and customer care system. System for pre-paid services for cellular services comprising of Customer Care Management System (CCMS) and Recharge Card Management System (RCMS) modules.

TCIL has also commissioned the e-maii over telephone system for a leading Telecom operator of India. This innovative project is to provide e-mail over telephone for the fixed line subscribers, who do not own PC's. With e-mail over telephone service, the subscribers can access their mails and send SMS both over telephone and Internet. No computer and internet

connection is required when mails are accessed over a fixed line or cellular phone. Voice commands are used to navigate through the mail menu. This is enabled by built in speaker independent telephony speech recognition software. It recognizes the commands / sentences with keywords (e.g. to open the inbox, say "In box" or "Go To Inbox" or "Open My Inbox" spoken by user and accordingly gives instructions to the application program. Voice commands like Read Mail, Next Mail, Previous Mail, Reply Mail, Delete Mail, Forward Mail, etc can be used over the phone and these commands are executed. A text to speech engine converts the mail to natural sounding synthesized speech and reads out to the user over the phone. The system is capable of reading out Text, HTML, MS Word and play voice attachments.

Other Software Projects

TCIL has provided software expertise by way of providing TCIL engineers for enhancement and maintenance of RASS (Record Automation for Special Services) software. The RASS and billing for telecom special services implemented in the cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Perth is an on-line automated Management Information System designed to improve provisioning, maintenance, recording and management of special services in department of telecom. TCIL engineers have developed Listing Information System (LIST) for BellSouth Information Services Inc., USA, and implemented it in Southern Bell and South Central Bell, the largest Bell operation company in USA having more than 20 million subscribers. The basic function of the system is to process various interfaces to facilitate updating in the Yellow Pages and White Pages (Telephone Directories) as well. TCIL has also done re-engineering of caller-identifications (CI) and addition of new functionality of caller-identifications which authorizes the use of calling card of Bell operating company, and also does the pricing of such phone calls. It also provides the archival system for AUTO COLLECT, PAYPHONE, OPSLAN and VOXMIX services. TCIL engineers have also worked on implementation and maintenance of Total Network Data System / Trunking (TNDS/ TK), a product of Bellcore Inc., USA for all the 13 telecom districts having over 1 million subscribers. The TNDS/TK process the measurement of the traffic in telecom network. TCIL experts have executed projects with Unisource Business Network (UBN) BV, Netherlands, a joint venture of three PTf's, namely Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden for National Value Added Network Services (NATVAN). The software tool was developed to verify the correctness of billing records generated in

the production environment of NATVAN. It provided interactive query interface through which the operators can query the charge ticket database to obtain the usage of the various services for a given user. TCIL also developed the tool to test the implementation of Prestel Gateway (PG 2.2) protocol on Access Points (AP) in the network of NATVAN and the tool to test the implementation of Call Control Center Access Points (CCC-AP) protocol on Call Control Center (CCC) in the network. TCIL engineers have executed the project in association with PKI, Nuremberg (Germany) for developing PHAMOS (Philips Advance Management Operations System), a Network Management System (NMS) under SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) Networks. Based on CCITT recommendations and OSI and ETSI standards. TCIL engineers have executed project with SEL, Alcatel, Stuttgant for integrated network management syste. TCIL business analyst engineers were involved in development of comprehensive integrated database for Guineas Peat Aviation (GPA), PLC.

Migration of Telephone Lines to NGN Project , Bahrain

TCIL played a key role for the successful migrations of existing Batelco Telephone Exchanges from legacy network to the new next generation network (NGN). Project started on September 07 and completed on January 09 and during the period 1,76,000 lines were migrated from the old exchanges to new generation NGN. TCIL joined hands with Huawei and TCIL was assigned the works related to correction of data, termination of cables, Jumpering and removal works on MDF and testing of PSTN,ISDN,ADSLand PABX lines for 36 exchanges. The entire work was completed within a period of 17 months. The completion of the US $ 57 Million project has given honour to Bahrain of being the first country in the world with complete country wide broadband.

When Batelco embarked on the road to migrate their existing network over to a new network using 21st century technology in 2005, they anticipated that it would take them more than 5 years to implement. However through supreme efforts of Batelco, Huawei and TCIL,which involved training to our technicians with the new skills necessary to understand and implement the new technologies, the time frame was reduced considerably. The new generation NGN services would facilitate triple play (voice, data and video) on a single line which traditionally only carried voice telephone services. Significantly, the service will allow new customers to connect to Batelco broad band internet on the same day, from a process that usually took up to one week prior to migration. Batelcos NGN will deliver their promise to bring affordable broadband access to all of Bahrains households making them among the best connected in the world.