 Simmi Sinha Sub-Editor GIS Development Pvt. Ltd. Email: simmi.sinha@gisdevelopment.net GIS is a powerful tool for decision makers. In the utility vertical, implementation of GIS is steadily progressing. In the the Indian telecom industry, it is being used as a planning and decision making tool by service providers to provide the best service to the consumers. The use of GIS in telecom enables the provision of a variety of applications ranging from location based services such as tracking, location finding, and location- based advertising to network planning, fault tracking and a plethora of customer relationship services. As a result, the telecom industry is emerging as the fastest growing market segment in India for GIS technology aplications. Application & Implementation In the Indian telecom industry, Airtel, Reliance, Vodafone, BSNL, MTNL and Tata Teleservices are amongst the key operators and also the biggest users of GIS applications. Bharti Airtel, in collaboration with Sweden-based Wayfinder Systems, launched its GIS/GPS-based navigation application on compatible mobile handsets. BSNL introduced location-based services on mobile some time back by providing services such as location of hospitals, restaurants and hotels. Likewise, all major telecom operators are implementing GIS services for various applications. KM Jagdeesh, Vice President- GIS-Reliance Tech Services says, "Reliance Communication has fully integrated geospatial technologies with the Operations Support System (OSS) and Business Support System (BSS) for countrywide network providing a total end to end solution. " GIS for decision making Most decisions made by telecom operators and even the GIS service providers for the telecom segment are complex and involve multiple factors. We can consider the case of requirement and even generation of relevant and accurate data. The better the data, the more accurately it is presented and better is the application reliability. Using geospatial data, telecom operators can plan their network coverage efficiency by finding suitable site for setting up telecom towers. They can select bill collection points on this basis and carry out market and customer analysis using LBS. The GIS solution providers on the other hand can get a better response by effectively including their GIS data in the telecom operators' network. GIS in network planning According to Jagdeesh, GIS has been used extensively in network planning and market analysis at Reliance and believes that it can be used by all major telecom companies alike. GIS systems within telecom utilities can provide facilities for fault tracking, customer care planning and efficient management of a large distributive network. Since wireless operators strive for an increasingly higher level of network efficiency and customer attention, they are turning to GIS to ensure their businesses operate at peak efficiencies. Using GIS, telecom service providers can estimate the length and direction of cable networks from one point to another point on the network. In this context, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), a government owned telecom operator in India made a major effort to deploy GIS in their network by choosing ConnectMaste to do GIS engineering to plan their networks using Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing. Telecom & LBS The value and importance of LBS in the telecommunication sector is ever increasing. Tracking, location finding and location-based advertising are the major value added services in telecom domain. BSNL was the first to bring in location based services (LBS) for mobile phone users in the country. In a recent announcement, map provider Tele Atlas and Vodafone are set to collaborate to enable LBS, routing and mapping applications for mobile users around the world. Tata Teleservices Limited has launched QUICKFINDER, an A-GPS (Assisted Global Positioning System) service which will be available exclusively to Tata Indicom subscribers. Airtel has already marked its presence in the location field by its GPS-based navigation application on compatible mobile handsets. Jagdeesh feels that location gives context to the content and location based services will be used in more ways in mass media. GIS is also helpful in locating optical fibre communication (OFC) cuts in a short time when used in conjunction with other systems. This helps in sending the maintenance team to the location for restoring / repairing the fault thus improving mean-time-to-repair (MTTR)/service level agreement (SLA). 3G network Third Generation or 3G in short is a family of standards for mobile telecommunications defined by the International Telecommunication Union. Compared to 2G and 2.5G services, 3G allows simultaneous use of speech and data services and higher data rates. After the government gave the green signal for launch of 3G services in India, leading telecom operators have taken this further, BSNL and MTNL being the forerunners. MTNL is trying to give away 3G services on franchise basis. Major private carriers such as Reliance Communication, Tata Teleservices and Airtel are also determined to rollout their services. Tata has entered into this arena by presenting the first 3G netbook. The GIS solution providers for these telecom operators are continuously engaged in powering the handsets and PNDs with map data solutions. MapmyIndia, another map data provider, has ventured with Qualcomm to provide best quality digital maps to 3G handsets. Reliance Communications is all set for 3G license auctions. Jagdeesh feels that the deployment of 3G service by telecom operators will further enhance connectivity among people/ organisations in terms of quality and also enable telecom operators to offer wide range of products. Demand for map data Telecom operators are engaged in building and strengthening their networks using GIS to enhance and convey their capabilities to the public considering their future demands and expectations. Therefore major GIS service providers are gaining ground in telecom by providing map data. Survey of India has signed a deal with SatNav, a Hyderabad-based provider of navigation and GPS technologies, to provide approved digital map content in the public domain or commercial use. They want their maps to be available on mobile and PNDs. SatNav is also in talks with major cellular operators - Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and BSNL - to offer LCU (Lost? Need Directions? Call Us!) voice-based navigation service. Future s Service providers are engaged in efforts to mordernise their network capabilities to enhance the quality of service and also to provide advanced features and futuristic services. On future plans Jagdeesh says, "In order to leverage the capabilities built since 2000, Reliance Tech Services has been launched last year to provide application development, customisation, maintenance and enhancements. Industry specialists believe telecom as one of the hottest market segments for GIS and cite GIS as a vehicle to launch several applications in various segments of telecom to reach out to the customers. |