Chhattisgarh to enhance SWAN with Nortel

RAIPUR, INDIA: Nortel had teamed with Chhattisgarh State Government to modernise its communications infrastructure through a new, high-bandwidth State Wide Area Network (SWAN). This would – for the first time - connect all departments of the state.

The Chhattisgarh SWAN (CG SWAN) is a hybrid network with a mix of wireless and wireline access supporting voice, data and video traffic. It will be one of the largest fixed WiMAX deployments in the country for e-government, providing access to 3,000 locations in the State.

The CGSWAN will also serve as the backbone for various state departments to deploy IT-related applications for the public. Central to the Government of India’s National e-Governance Plan are Common Services Centers (CSCs) set up in easily accessible areas to enable people to conduct all their government-related work.

The various citizen-facing services under all the departments of the state are made available under one roof in such centers, providing easy access to services such as applying for birth certificates, land use records or business certification while also allowing people to track the status of their application online.

The SWAN will provide intra-department as well as inter-department connectivity and access to all departments under the State Government. For example, not only will the Regional Transport Offices (RTO) be connected across the state, but they can also be connected to the police department.

Improved data sharing among different departments of the government enabled by SWAN will lead to better monitoring and evaluation of government programs as well as a more effective, efficient and transparent administration. e-Government for citizens will also be greatly improved through real-time access to information reducing the needs for multiple visits and time consuming, paper-based approvals.

Aman Singh, chief executive officer, Chhattisgarh Infotech and Biotech Promotion Society (CHiPS), a division of the Department of Information Technology and Biotechnology, Government of Chhattisgarh, said: “With SWAN, we will be able to connect our offices not just at the headquarters level, but right down to the local administration levels even in remote, inaccessible areas.” 

CHiPS selected Nortel’s WiMAX-based last-mile connectivity over competing WLAN solutions as the most cost-effective and simple to deploy high-performance solution available. “WiMAX is a proven technology for providing reliable communications and access across rough terrains and remote areas that are difficult to serve with conventional wireless or wireline technologies. We estimate we will save close to 30 percent over five years compared to a WLAN solution,” says Singh. “WiMAX is also based on open standards, which is key to the government’s e-governance vision to implement platforms that offer interoperability.”

The new network will deliver high speed access to remote locations which currently lack any Internet connectivity. The solution for CGSWAN consists of Nortel’s Communication Server 1000 (CS1000) for IP Telephony, Ethernet Routing Switch (ERS) 8600s, 5500s and 2500s, Business Access Points (BAP) 120 and Base Transceiver Station (BTS) 1060 and ProST from the WiMAX portfolio.