RailTel broadband RailWire's subscriber base up 1.5 times in 4 months

RailTel's retail broadband service RailWire is a collaborative platform that ropes in local cable operators and entrepreneurs to provide last-mile connectivity to households and small businesses

RailWire, the broadband initiative of RailTel, has created an ecosystem of 4,000 entrepreneurs and increased its subscriber base by one-and-a-half times over the last four months, the railway PSU said in a statement.

RailTel's retail broadband service RailWire is a collaborative platform that ropes in local cable operators and entrepreneurs to provide last-mile connectivity to individual households and small businesses, who can then enjoy high-speed internet services from RailTel's superior backhaul.

"RailWire is a collaborative model and has created an ecosystem where we focus on helping local service providers generate more revenue. RailWire, with our more than 4,000 partners across the country, is helping affordable broadband services to reach underserved areas such as the Tier 3 cities and the rural hinterland," RailTel CMD Puneet Chawla said.

One of the success stories highlighted in the RailTel statement talks about Narendran and Damodaran, who ran a small cable TV enterprise in Tamil Nadu's Nemili village.

"By becoming a RailWire partner, their average revenue per user (ARPU) increased 10 times.... Their stature grew in the community and they have even provided connectivity to schools free of charge.

"They strongly endorse RailWire among the cable community and have not been swayed by seemingly lucrative offers to switch to upstream broadband," the statement said.

"In the last four months, our subscriber base increased by one-and-a-half times by adding over 70,000 new subscribers," Chawla said.

RailTel has also provided high-speed and free WiFi services at over 5,670 stations across the Indian Railway network.