Airtel Business, the B2B arm of Bharti Airtel, has enabled a leading Indian public sector bank to significantly modernise its network infrastructure, resulting in an anticipated 35–40 percent reduction in network costs. The transformation was achieved through the deployment of Airtel's cloud-based Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) solution for the bank, which serves over 100 million customers and operates across more than 5,000 bank branches nationwide.
Also Read: Airtel Business Transforms Network Management for Leading Coffee Chain with SD-WAN Lite Solution
Overcoming Connectivity Challenges with SD-WAN
Faced with mounting connectivity challenges, the bank had been relying on a complex multi-vendor MPLS network that led to frequent service disruptions, high operational costs, and limited visibility into application performance. "This not only inflated individual branch network costs but also restricted connectivity in remote branches, limiting their day-to-day transactions," Airtel Business said.
Airtel SD-WAN Solution
To address these challenges, Airtel Business implemented its SD-WAN solution, providing the bank with centralised network management, real-time traffic monitoring, and intelligent routing capabilities.
"Think of it [the SD-WAN solution] as an intelligent traffic controller for their complete IT network, offering real-time visibility and centralised control, empowering their IT teams to optimise application performance and ensure critical operations reliability," Airtel Business explained.
This allowed the bank's IT team to prioritise mission-critical applications, implement granular security policies at application and site levels, and integrate a mix of MPLS, broadband, and internet leased lines tailored to each branch's needs.
Transition to Public Cloud
The solution also supported the bank's transition to a public cloud platform, enabling the gradual phase-out of legacy infrastructure hosted by third-party colocation providers. The result was enhanced agility, improved scalability, and a simplified operations model managed through a single point of contact for both SD-WAN and connectivity services, according to Airtel.
Key Benefits for the Bank
By optimising its network architecture with Airtel Business, the bank has not only reduced costs but also improved service reliability, streamlined branch operations, and positioned itself for faster market expansion.
According to Airtel, the bank has unlocked significant cost savings and operational efficiency gains. "They're anticipating a 35-40 percent reduction in network expenditures by eliminating reliance on traditional MPLS connectivity and multiple vendors. A flexible OPEX model, based on actual network consumption, further optimised the cost," Airtel Business said.
Also Read: Airtel Managed Wi-Fi Enables 20 Percent Productivity Increase for an Indian Automobile Manufacturer
The intelligent and diverse network connections have also enabled the bank to quickly expand into new markets and larger customer segments.
You can also join the TelecomTalk WhatsApp Community and TelecomTalk WhatsApp Channel for updates and discussions.
