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Today, we have about 111 ISP
licensees in the country, out of which only nine ISPs have actually started providing the
services. Many have adopted a "wait-and-watch" policy due to policy
uncertainties. The delay is also because some are either laying the infrastructure or
waiting for the National Internet Backbone (NIB), which is expected to solve the
connectivity problem faced by them. Till this comes about, however, the service providers
will have to depend on the VSNL international gateway.
While waiting for the NIB to
materialize is one option, the ISPs could experiment with the option of connecting among
themselves. In other words, if an ISP does not have a presence in a location, he can use
the bandwidth of the ISP already present in that particular area. For instance, Bharti BT,
which does not have a presence in Mangalore as of now, could use the Satyam network in
Mangalore following an understanding. Or, with the presence of Class B and C players,
national players could arrive at an understanding with these players for using their
network or vice-versa, thereby avoiding delays in setting up operations. This would equip
the ISP with the network backbone and Internet Access Provider (IAP), and could be another
way of generating revenue. Anand Talwai, CEO, Wipro Net, opines, "In the coming days,
this interconnection will become a necessity. ISPs will start to connect with each other
by sharing the cost of bandwidth. The Government did a good job in allowing ISPs to
interconnect each other."
While this is not in practice in
India currently, with increasing number of service providers entering the fray, such
tie-ups could start happening. "In India, this sharing of the infrastructure amongst
the ISPs is not in the framework as of now. However, when the number of ISPs grow, this
sharing will get some meaning in India," affirms MS Rangaraj, vice president and CTO
of Microland.
| color="#FFFFFF">Authenticating the Subscriber |
| Whenever an Internet user dials into an access point to connect to an ISP, a terminal server collects the user’s login information like the user name and password and sends it to that ISP’s authentication server. The authentication server matches the user name and password with information stored in an authorization database located on the ISP’s network using an authentication protocol like TACACS (from Cisco) or RADIUS (from Lucent Technologies). If the authentication is successful, the authentication server authorizes the terminal server to allow the user to obtain an IP address and gain access to the network, enabling access to E-mail, the Web, and other Internet applications. |
However, the IAP will have to
address the issues of security, accounting, and scalability before sharing the network or
bandwidth. This sharing needs an agreement to allow the users of one ISP to gain Internet
access through another ISP’s network. Such sharing often requires building user names
and passwords into the authentication databases of both ISPs. In other cases, a small
group of ISPs agrees on a common model to solve authentication and settle issues between
them. This involves a complex technical implementation. On a small scale, these
relationships can work, but they are usually not cost-effective compared to long
connectivity and can be very difficult to manage.
Creating a secure authentication
over a publicly accessible network can be extremely difficult. Each of the ISPs has to
build its own firewalls to ensure security. Managing the accounting information and
sharing costs can also be complex. Accounting has to take care about usage of the
Internet, cost per minute, type of service it has received, etc. The problem becomes even
more complicated as providers seek to provide global coverage, requiring them to enter
into relationships with not just one or two providers, but hundreds of other providers.
This scenario does not scale well and the complexity of managing these relationships
significantly increases each time a new participant is added to the equation.
Of course, if any ISP plans to
use satellite for the connectivity, the sharing may not be necessitated, as it would allow
access to any place easily, though with some limitations. But connecting with satellite
requires huge investment. Presently in India, Kirloskar group, which has taken an ISP
licence, is considering the option of using satellite connectivity for its service. (In
India, for satellite connectivity, an ISP has to take permission from DoT.) Also, recently
the government has permitted to use VSATs for connectivity within India.
As of now in India, there is no
legal entity preventing interconnectivity. But the basic issues relating to number of
local portals and ISPs will only help to go for interconnectivity on an early date.