RailTel Corporation of India Ltd, a Mini Ratna PSU under the Ministry of Railways, has embarked on an initiative to promote Indian technology, innovation, and products in South Africa and the surrounding region. On April 24, it entered into a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Inovitel (PTY) LTD and Tsiko Africa Energy & Infrastructure for Tsiko Group. This collaboration aims to explore opportunities in various sectors such as telecom, railways, and other IT/ICT businesses in South Africa.
The MOU encompasses the activation and commercialization of dark fiber along railway lines and high voltage transmission lines in South Africa, as stated in a press release from RailTel. Additionally, it includes provisions for Railway Signal & Telecommunication solutions, Digital twin Modelling of Railway assets for predictive maintenance, Traffic simulation, and OFC based Distributed Acoustic System (DAS) for public and private rail operators within South Africa.
RailTel is recognized as one of the largest neutral telecom infrastructure providers in India, possessing an extensive pan-India optic fiber network spanning over 61,000 route km. This network covers major metros, cities, rural areas, and reaches approximately 70% of India’s population. On the other hand, Tsiko Africa Energy and Infrastructure and InoviTel are entities based in South Africa, supported by the Tsiko Africa Group, and are part of the South African Indo-Afro Business Association NPC.
The signing of the MOU took place in Pretoria, South Africa, in the presence of Prabhat Kumar, High Commissioner of India to South Africa, and Mahesh Kumar, Consul General of India, Johannesburg. Parag Kumar Goyal, Principal Executive Director/Enterprise Business, RailTel, exchanged the MOU with Lavine Singh, Chief Executive Officer of Inovitel (PTY) LTD, and Pragasen Naidoo, Chief Executive Officer of Tsiko Africa Energy and Infrastructure (Pty) Ltd, as mentioned in the statement.
What Is RailTel
RailTel Corporation of India Limited, a public sector undertaking (PSU) under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India, was founded in September 2000 with the aim of modernizing the communication network of Indian Railways and supporting the objectives of the National Telecom Policy 1999. With licenses including NLD, IP2, and ISP, as well as IP1 registration, RailTel serves as a national telecom service provider.
The extensive network of RailTel spans approximately 5,000 stations, encompassing all major commercial hubs across India, as well as numerous rural areas, providing coverage to 70% of the country’s population.
