Mohsin Jamal Aiyubi, Deputy General Manager, GAILTEL
Founded in 2001, GAILTEL, the telecom and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) services arm of GAIL (India) Limited, marked GAIL’s entry into the telecom sector. GAIL is a prominent natural gas PSU in India and Asia with a network of approximately 16,240 km of gas pipelines. GAILTEL capitalised on the extensive pipeline network of its parent company to deploy optical fibre cables (OFCs) across the country. Moreover, GAIL has acquired IP-I (infrastructure) registration.
Existing network
GAILTEL’s primary role is to design, develop and maintain a modern and efficient telecommunication infrastructure for providing captive telecom and SCADA services for GAIL’s countrywide pipelines and plant installations, apart from commercially leasing pan-India
telecom infrastructure services. The OFC infrastructure installed along GAIL’s crosscountry trunk NG and LPG pipeline networks is maintained by GAILTEL.
GAIL currently has a telecom network operating capacity of 10/2.5 Gbps for its captive use and an OFC network spanning over 13,500 km. The telecom network was originally built to facilitate internal communications and pipeline monitoring, but it has evolved significantly, from an 8 Mbps microwave system in 2002 to 10 Gbps as of 2021.
There are more than 1,000 nodes (telecom systems) located along the pipeline, many of which are located in remote villages due to the rural alignment of the pipelines. GAILTEL’s telecom system supports the traffic of various captive services such as SCADA, voice, email, SAP, etc., all monitored and controlled through network operation and control centres (NOCCs) located in Noida. For monitoring, configuration and management of the different OEM network elements, network management systems are installed.
Additionally, GAILTEL has installed remote terminal units to transmit field data to the control rooms. Each monitoring station collects pressure and temperature data, which is transmitted 24×7 to SCADA systems for monitoring/controlling field devices.
In accordance with statutory requirements, a centralised applications (APPS) system analyses real-time SCADA data to offer features such as leak detection, line-pack (inventory) monitoring, real-time mapping of pipeline parameters (such as pressure and flow), scraper tracking, composition tracking and offline predictive analysis.
For asset safety, a pipeline intrusion detection system is an analytical technique that identifies physical intrusions inside pipelines within its right of use and range of use. To add to this, all pipeline installations and plant premises are monitored via CCTVs installed at the respective locations and have dedicated voice connectivity. This has been done by installing EPABXs at manned locations and FXO / FXS at remote locations such as SVs / IPs for reliable and effective intra-company communications.
The network is highly secure and resilient due to its alignment with pipelines, reducing fibre cut incidents. A dedicated customer service centre in Noida supports operations.
Further, GAIL continues to market dark fibre, with leasing offered via expression of interest and tenders. Leases can be short term (2-5 years) or long term (10-15 years). It also offers co-location facilities.
Challenges faced
GAILTEL is currently facing several challenges related to the maintenance and expansion of its OFC network. One of the key issues is the damage caused by excavation work, especially when such activities are conducted without prior intimation to GAIL. This problem is more common in areas where the fibre is laid outside the pipeline corridor.
Another major challenge arises from infrastructure development projects such as road and highway expansions. These activities have caused damage to the OFC network in non-pipeline areas.
Finally, obtaining permissions in urban areas and at railway crossings is both time-consuming and expensive, posing a logistical and financial challenge for GAIL’s fibre network expansion.
The future road map
GAIL has laid out a clear road map for the expansion of its telecom infrastructure. Over the next three years, the company plans to lay approximately 3,000 km of new OFC, primarily along its pipeline routes. The targeted regions for this expansion include Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal,
Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Jammu & Kashmir. GAIL also aspires to continue to play its role in the telecom industry by leveraging its OFC infrastructure for commercially viable operations.
Based on a presentation by Mohsin Jamal Aiyubi, Deputy General Manager, GAILTEL, at a tele.net conference on OFC Networks in India.
