Gopa Kumar, chief executive officer, RANext
In today’s digital era, the significance of fibre optic infrastructure is paramount. India’s digital transformation heavily relies on a strong fibre optic network backbone that can support the increasing demand for data-intensive applications and services. RANext, a futuristic fibre infrastructure solutions provider, is developing a neutral optical fibre infrastructure that is swiftly shaping the landscape of smart living and urban development. Gopa Kumar, chief executive officer, RANext, discusses the company’s key focus areas, initiatives, challenges, sustainability efforts and future priorities…
What are RANext’s key focus areas?
RANext focuses on digital neutral network fibre infrastructure, aimed at revolutionising communication and digitisation of buildings. The company offers a wide range of services, including broadband, leased lines, digital security, building management and automation to enhance the digital lifestyle experience within buildings.
RANext not only builds smart shared fibre networks that enable multiple internet and telecom service providers to converge on a single digital platform, ensuring superior service delivery, but also acts as a digital partner. It provides end-to-end solutions, including digitally integrable products, and manages the operations and maintenance of these solutions through a single window, known as smart building solutions.
Our commitment to serve the real estate industry through value-added digital services and our digital-out-of-home (DOOH) concept have gained tremendous response. This unique proposition delivers video content from desirable advertisers and brands to its potential end users.
RANext upgrades such buildings to fibre-based fibre-to-the-x (FTTx) networks, implementing modernisations even in intricate urban environments.
What is your assessment of the growing demand for digitisation? How is RANext meeting this demand?
Digitisation/Digitalisation, often used interchangeably, is galloping at breakneck speeds in the country. Beginning with Aadhaar and pioneering the unified payments interface, these advancements have made commerce easy and have reached every nook and corner of the country. As the demand for more internet packets grows, data consumption is burgeoning, and RANext is catering to this paradigm shift with its innovative network-to-network interface fibre optic solution, which guarantees ultra-high speed, uninterrupted and reliable digital connectivity round the clock.
How is the company transforming urban development and smart living complexes? What are the key challenges?
RANext has pioneered the concept of neutral network fibre infrastructure, providing high-speed internet connectivity in apartment complexes and urban environments, enabling smart living. With data consumption and the work-from-home concept on the rise, reliance on high speed and reliable internet connectivity has increased manifold.
We build multicore fibre networks for in-building digital applications and connectivity, allowing residents and resident welfare associations to benefit from a converged single digital platform for superior service delivery and scalability.
However, apartment complexes and urban environments are often equipped with older technology (such as copper), which severely inhibits fast access to data transfers and communication due to limited bandwidth offerings.
How are you incorporating sustainable practices into your solutions?
The company engages with builders and real estate developers right at the construction stage of residential and commercial complexes to provide high speed neutral network fibre infrastructure. At RANext, we believe in a consultative approach, catering to the varied needs of each developer based on the requirements of residential, commercial and retail complexes. Our in-house capability to conceptualise, design, deploy and operate is a long-term sustainable model that benefits end users and developers through a single-window solution delivery.
What are the upcoming priorities and growth strategies?
From a growth perspective, RANext aims to surpass its previous record and gain a significant market share in FTTx during financial year (FY) 2024-25. In 2023-24, RANext achieved a threefold increase in growth compared to FY23.
From a service offerings point of view, RANext has evolved from being a neutral fibre infrastructure provider to becoming a one-stop solution for builders, providing a range of digital experiences through DOOH, as well as offering smart building solutions such as visitor management systems, parking management systems, building management systems, digital security and advanced communication systems. RANext aims to enhance its solution portfolio by introducing a soft digital user platform and an enhanced digital experience for its users. The company also aims to expand to over 25 cities in FY25.
Going forward, RANext envisions becoming a one-stop solution provider for all digital requirements in buildings and aims to be one of the top neutral fibre infrastructure players in India.
