SSTL Sets a Benchmark for Network O&M in India

Sistema Shyam TeleServices (SSTL) is a joint venture between the Russian company, Sistema, and the Shyam Group of India. Sistema is the majority shareholder in the joint venture. SSTL has the spectrum to provide mobile telephony in all 22 circles within India.

In 2008, ZTE was chosen as SSTL’s network equipment supplier and was charged with the responsibility of operating SSTL’s networks in 16 circles within India. With a population of 52.85 million, Karnataka is one of the most populous circles in the country.  Its capital, Bangalore, is so-called the “Silicon Valley” of India. Karnataka accounts for the largest portion of Sistema’s investment in India and is the benchmark for SSTL’s network operation, user expansion, market share, and Return On Investment (ROI) in the country.

Karnataka―a key area for developing telecom business in southern India―has experienced fast user expansion and rapid increase in equipment use. However, because of limited investment, the speed of its telecom equipment expansion has not kept pace with market growth and the increased number of users. A newcomer to the market, SSTL is under great pressure to compete. It needs to rapidly gain market share, attract more subscribers, and implement efficient operation and maintenance at low cost.

Network Operation Efficiency and Security

For high stability, high security, and high availability in its networks, SSTL adopted a network security evaluation solution supplied by ZTE. This guarantees secure, efficient network operation in four ways:

■    Spare parts management: ZTE has built circle-level (state-level) and cluster-level (group-level) spare parts storehouses in addition to those already located at its Indian headquarters and regional offices. This multilevel spare parts response system ensures fast changeover or recovery of faulty cards.

■    Expert resources: Experts are available for MPLS reconstruction and transmission resource optimization. Third-party equipment vendors can be sent to adjust and optimize transmission links and ensure high availability of active/standby equipment and links.

■    Virus detection and prevention: A complete antivirus solution is provided to prevent, detect, and remove network viruses. ZTE’s antivirus was tested and proven effective and has been widely deployed across all SSTL networks.

■    Network security evaluation mechanism: Network KPIs are analyzed and evaluated weekly, monthly, and quarterly. For capacity and security issues, network optimization and improvement solutions are also provided to protect against potential risks.

Three-Level Response Mechanism

Karnataka is SSTL’s pilot area for network O&M and service expansion. This circle is strategically important for SSTL’s business expansion across India. To ensure fast response to network failures, ZTE established a three-level response mechanism: O&M at the site, O&M support at the Circle Operation Center (COC), and expert support at the Local Customer Support Center (LCSC). A team of 35 technical experts from ZTE are dedicated to Managed Service (MS) in Karnataka. This rapid response mechanism helps SSTL reduce its network failure recovery time and continually improve user satisfaction. 

High Network Availability

Fast market development but slow equipment expansion is a big problem for SSTL. Taking into account network conditions and equipment features, SSTL adopted Uni-POS―ZTE’s professional network optimization tool―to optimize key network indicators and allocate network resources. After nearly a year of continual optimization, SSTL achieved their network KPI targets and enhanced customer satisfaction. SSTL specifically analyzes customer satisfaction and is meeting increasing user requirements with 100% network availability.

In network tests conducted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in 2009, SSTL ranked first in network KPI. High-quality networks significantly increased SSTL’s confidence in expanding its market and user base. Today, its subscriber base is 433,125 and its busy hour traffic is 17,363.28 ERL. With its professional MS team, ZTE has helped STTL secure a share of the Indian telecom market and achieve win-win results.