What is Bharat AirFibre?

[WandereR]

I guess you don't even know where the Western Ghats are located and how the terrain here looks!. I am attaching Google Maps image and a picture taken by me for your kind reference. Pray, tell me, how I could have reduced the setup cost in a terrain like this?.

I had missed that line where you mentioned that. 😅

 

[WandereR]

I would say its super cost-effective, considering the location 😅

Yes now I understand why he mentioned it as cost effective. I didn't actually read the location it seems and posted 🙁

 

[araghavendra]

BSNL does not spend even a paisa for last-mile infra anymore. It is all outsourced to LCO. Let me write a simple guide for getting this:

1. A business which meets certain criteria set by BSNL like minimum turnover, prior experience in this sector can become BSNL's franchise by paying prescribed fee (some 30k) and sign an agreement with district GM of BSNL.
2. Franchise is given legislative assembly/taluka wise here. Only one business entity per legislative assembly is allowed.
3. BSNL will give the exchange building, towers, power backup free of cost to the franchise after agreement.
4. Franchise has to invest on a switch (around 15k I guess) or router (Mikrotik CCR + SFP worth around 40k). And invest for the exchange to tower cabling and tower antennas (35-40k per antenna from Ubiquiti). Depending on the number of potential customers franchise has to decide the number of antennas required. BSNL will configure the equipment and ask the franchise to start giving connections.
5. Then the franchise should do a site survey for signals and if signals of -70dBm or less can be achieved (I am getting -64dBm) staff should fix the antenna firmly, take applications from customers (same as regular FTTH) and upload the same to BSNL Franchise Management System portal. Then BSNL officials will process the application, generate username + password and share it with customers.
6. Franchise has to supply the CPE (Antenna, cables & router if required). BSNL does not supply any equipment.
7. Franchise makes money by selling CPE, installation charges and they get up to 40% share in fixed monthly charges.
8. For connections customers can approach nearby telephone exchange. They will inform LCO to give connection.
9. In our hilly terrain, my relative living 5kms away from tower (air distance) is getting a good signal. In flat terrain signal reaches 15-20kms (air distance) it seems.

If you need to know anything else, please let me know.

Hey can you pls share the contact no. of the LCO providing Airfiber, I want to know more about its implementation

 

[Sai]

Talk to your area JTO/SDE/GM for franchisee formalities. In case of any specific queries please pm me.

 

[araghavendra]

Hey sai Thanks for reply. Basically, I want to know the experience of LCO in providing Airfiber, which make was used and its performance,wether profitable

 

[Sai]

Base station AP & CPE is exclusively Ubiquiti. Switch/Routers from Mikrotik. The franchise sells CPE, Cables, Wifi routers after adding their margin and charges installation fees. One can beam signals to over 15kms air distance in flat terrain like Hyderabad provided there is Line of Sight. It will of course be profitable if you can get enough customers since BSNL will give revenue share.

 

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[Shailendra P.]

Air Fiber is nothing but a 5Ghz Wireless PTMP set-up ,just like thousands of class b and Class C isps operate in india (around the world) from last 15 years ,it's just the fancy name AIR FIBER which picked from Ubnt Air Fiber .Bsnl just provide the Port from their mux which is earlier fed to OLT and now it fed to wireless devices , whatever brand you want to deploy Mikrotik , UBNT Mimosa Cambium etc. depends on the LCO , they provide the space on the tower to install the equipment . plans are same as ftth but wireless have its own limitations so they advertise only 50mbps. In 5Ghz unlicensed band it's very hard to achieve throughout because of (in rural area these problems are less)
1. noise in the 5ghz band
2. Clear line of site
3. AC gear use maximum of 80Mhz Channel width
4. PTMP using TDMA and adding Latency.
5. Poor management of frequency channels.

Most of the time the local operater knows nothing about all that , and start the service.
We work closely with isps and wisps around the world and know that in india a person with zero knowledge in field can become an wisp. They just buy the gear and Boom ruining the free spectrum .

I'm working in a field from last 5 years have been certified with MIkrotik and UBNT.my self own an wisp and fisp, have bsnl franchise railwire franchise and too the last our new venture own class B isp license for MP CG and North East AS141253. When we get into the field of internet in 2015 then we get to know about how badly it ruined by the misinformation. We started isp consulting , Support , set-up etcetc. ISP Consultants India: Become an Internet Service Provider (ISP or WISP)

We helped around 120+ isp startups in last 2 year.

And for the surprise . BSNL NOC Bangaluru team apporched us in earlier 2019 , about the wisp setup or you can say Air fiber , we helped them in configuration of MIkrotik Aps and CPE s apparently their noc team doesn't knew that time how to work with vlans in MIkrotik.

 

[shashankb]

Glad BSNL NOC is taking interest and seeking help in improving service . Hope they know about their routing also .

 

[RandomIndian]

Just wondering, would it be legal to use these equipment bought from open market to create a cross city business / personal wireless network ?

 

[ishanjain28]

I think you only have to worry about what band/frequency you are using to set this up.
Ubiquiti's stuff uses 5ghz or other unlicensed bands so you can just use a pair of those to setup a p2p link without getting a license from govt. to operate in that band.

There might be some other building regulations but I don't know any thing about that.

 

[Sai]

No license is required as per my knowledge. If it is in a city you will have to worry about noise interference. Don't use 2.4GHz at all.

 

[RandomIndian]

The reason I was even thinking of it was due to upcoming WiFi 6E, which has new spectrum. Using a 5 Ghz / 2.4 Ghz in city would be practically impossible.

 

[Sai]

BSNL will offer old Wimax equipment on a rental basis. Rs.99+ GST per month. To be used as CPE for Airfiber. I believe these work on 2.4 Ghz and LOS may not be required?.

 

[theNonGreat]

Hi @Sai.
Just want to leave a thank you message.
The information you are putting here is very helpful for us.
Appreciate the time which you put here for the community.

 

[theNonGreat]

Hi forum members.
Thank you for your contributions.
I am using the Mikrotik LHG XL AC as a slave antenna for internet connection at a remote village at an 8km LoS distance from the master antenna (-69dB to -77dB signal strength). The internet provider has put a password on my antenna so I can't access it via WinBox. When I ask him for the password he denies it saying that I can use password of my antenna to mess with his systems. I am wondering why he is doing so. Is there any vested interest possible? After 3 days of good connection, my internet has gone annoying slow, and very unstable. Can you suggest from your experience, please?