October 6, 2025: Airtel Business has bagged a major multi-year contract from the Indian Railway Security Operations Centre (IRSOC) to design, build, and operate a state-of-the-art cybersecurity ecosystem for the Indian Railways — one of the largest digital infrastructures in the world.
The new system will provide round-the-clock (24x7x365) multi-layered protection to secure the entire digital backbone of the Indian Railways, ensuring safe, seamless, and uninterrupted operations across ticketing, payments, train tracking, freight management, and signaling systems.
A Major Step Toward a Cyber-Secure Railway Network
With over 13,000 trains, 20 million daily passengers, and 1.5 billion tons of freight moved every year, Indian Railways handles enormous volumes of sensitive data — from passenger identities and payment information to operational databases. This makes it a prime target for cyber threats.
Under this partnership, Airtel Business will create a greenfield cybersecurity command center with advanced AI-powered defense mechanisms. The system will cover 26+ railway locations and protect 190,000+ critical digital assets, including endpoints, servers, and communication networks.
What the New IRSOC Will Deliver
- Unified Compliance & Visibility: A single compliance dashboard providing real-time monitoring and alerts across all railway systems.
- AI-Driven Endpoint Protection: Continuous monitoring through advanced Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) systems.
- Patch & Vulnerability Management: Real-time tracking of infrastructure health across 190,000+ devices.
- Next-Gen Threat Detection: AI-enabled SIEM, SOAR, and UEBA platforms capable of detecting threats within 20 seconds.
- Dark Web Monitoring: Proactive identification of potential risks before they disrupt operations.
- Network & Access Controls: Secure firewalls, routers, and credential management for mission-critical applications.
Voices from Airtel and Indian Railways
Sharat Sinha, CEO & Director – Airtel Business, said:
“We’re honored to partner with IRSOC to protect India’s most complex digital ecosystem. Our robust, AI-embedded security architecture will strengthen data protection, ensure operational continuity, and deliver safe, seamless digital services to millions of daily railway commuters.”
Dilip Kumar, Executive Director (Information & Planning) – Railway Board, added:
“Cybersecurity is critical for Indian Railways’ operations, maintenance, and passenger services. IRSOC will act as a centralized command center to detect and respond to threats, improve collaboration with national cybersecurity agencies, and ensure uninterrupted services for passengers.”
A Boost for Digital India
The collaboration underscores India’s growing emphasis on cyber resilience in critical infrastructure. By combining Airtel Secure’s enterprise-grade technology with Make in India cybersecurity products, the project ensures a sovereign, compliant, and future-ready defense framework for the nation’s railway network.
Over 1 billion Indians will directly benefit from enhanced security across ticket booking, payments, train tracking, and digital travel experiences.
About Airtel Business:
Airtel Business is India’s largest integrated communications solutions provider, offering services across secure connectivity, cloud, cybersecurity, IoT, and data centers. It serves over 600 million customers across 15 countries.
About Indian Railways:
A government-owned network under the Ministry of Railways, Indian Railways operates over 135,000 km of track and serves more than 7,000 stations nationwide. Nearly 99% of its broad-gauge routes are electrified, with modernization efforts including high-speed Vande Bharat Express trains and the IRCTC SwaRail digital platform.
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