IPDR Compliance Made Simple: How AnexGate ACE & USG Empower ISPs for DoT/TRAI Readiness

The Compliance Challenge Every ISP Faces

Across India, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are required by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to maintain detailed network usage logs for a defined retention period — commonly two years.

These logs, known as Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDRs), form the backbone of lawful traceability. They help authorities identify a specific user behind a connection, especially in dynamic IP and NAT environments.

Without a reliable IPDR system, ISPs risk non-compliance, penalties, and operational blind spots. Yet, traditional solutions built on large data collectors, probes, and analytics engines can cost lakhs to crores, making them impractical for regional and mid-sized ISPs.

AnexGate’s answer: a Make-in-India IPDR solution that meets every compliance requirement — without the financial strain.

Understanding IPDR: The Digital Audit Trail

At its core, an IPDR (Internet Protocol Detail Record) is a structured summary of every connection that traverses an ISP’s network. Each record typically includes:

Source and destination IP addresses
Ports and protocol used
Start and end timestamps
NAT translations and subscriber mappings
Session details tied to AAA authentication

Together, these records allow authorities to map “who accessed what, when, and from where.”

For ISPs, IPDRs serve three major functions:

Regulatory compliance with DoT/TRAI mandates
Traceability for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs)
Operational analytics for capacity planning and abuse detection

The Problem with Conventional IPDR Solutions

Many IPDR implementations are adapted from enterprise monitoring tools — powerful, but overbuilt and overpriced for most Indian ISPs.

Typical drawbacks include:

High capital cost for dedicated collectors and analytics nodes
Complex architecture with multiple moving parts
Massive storage overhead for two-year retention
Recurring licensing for flow analyzers and query engines
Specialized skill requirement to deploy and maintain

For a mid-sized ISP, these translate into high total cost of ownership (TCO), often beyond operational budgets.

What’s needed instead is a purpose-built appliance that captures, correlates, compresses, and archives IPDR logs seamlessly — without external collectors or expensive software stacks.

Enter AnexGate ACE & USG: Purpose-Built for ISP Compliance

AnexGate ACE and AnexGate USG are Indian-engineered network security and routing platforms that come with native IPDR logging capabilities. They integrate AAA correlation, NAT tracking, and flow monitoring — the essential building blocks for DoT/TRAI compliance.

Capability	AnexGate USG	AnexGate ACE
Core Function	Unified Security Gateway with DPI, Firewall, VPN, SD-WAN	Edge Router with integrated IPDR & SD-WAN
IPDR Capture	✔️ Full support	✔️ Full support
AAA / NAT Correlation	✔️ Deep integration	✔️ Lightweight, efficient
Storage & Archival	✔️ Tiered / external	✔️ Local + cloud-ready
Throughput Tier	High (core sites)	Mid (edge / POPs)
Deployment Use Case	Data center / HQ	POP / edge nodes
Cost Level	Medium	Low — fraction of traditional solutions

Both platforms share a common software stack, ensuring consistent data formats, query interfaces, and audit readiness across your network.

Why AnexGate ACE Is a Game-Changer for ISPs

1. Affordable Compliance

ACE delivers full IPDR compliance at a fraction of the cost. Its efficient design removes the need for separate collectors, third-party analyzers, or database clusters — reducing both CapEx and OpEx.

2. Inline Flow Logging with Zero Overhead

ACE captures flow records directly at the routing layer, ensuring no packet loss, no mirrored ports, and no probes — simplifying deployment while improving reliability.

3. Seamless AAA & NAT Correlation

Each log entry is automatically linked with user identity, session details, and NAT translations, satisfying all DoT requirements for traceability — even in multi-NAT or CGNAT setups.

4. Intelligent Storage & Retention

Built-in compression and deduplication allow multi-year retention on modest hardware. Tiered hot / cold storage and offload to cloud or NAS make long-term archiving practical.

5. Scalable by Design

Start small and scale horizontally: deploy ACE at each POP or region, then aggregate centrally. Each node operates independently yet exports unified reports.

6. Audit-Ready Export

ACE generates standardized CSV or JSON exports aligned with audit expectations, enabling quick responses to LEA queries or compliance inspections.

Real-World Example: Regional ISP Compliance at 1/4th the Cost

Imagine a regional ISP with 5 Gbps aggregate traffic across six POPs.

Using AnexGate ACE, the ISP can:

Deploy one ACE per POP to capture IPDR logs locally
Compress and store logs for 24+ months
Export DoT-compliant records on demand
Centralize reporting via an AnexGate USG at the core

Compared to conventional IPDR systems requiring dedicated collectors and analytics servers, this architecture costs nearly 75% less while meeting every regulatory checklist.

Beyond Compliance: Operational Intelligence

AnexGate IPDR data doubles as a network intelligence source. ISPs can gain:

Usage analytics (per user / per application)
Peak traffic insights for capacity planning
Abuse detection via anomaly tracking
QoS optimization using real traffic metrics

This transforms mandatory logging into a strategic asset.

Why ISPs Choose AnexGate

Made in India, Proven in India — Built for local compliance realities
Deep networking DNA — Designed by experts in routing & security
Lower TCO — Minimal hardware, no third-party software
Unified Platform — Works with AnexGate’s SD-WAN and Security Suite
Audit Friendly — Instant exports and LEA query support

From Class A operators to emerging rural ISPs, AnexGate ACE and USG provide the confidence to stay compliant, efficient, and future-ready.

Conclusion: Compliance Without Complexity

IPDR compliance shouldn’t demand enterprise budgets.
With AnexGate ACE and USG, ISPs can achieve complete DoT/TRAI compliance, trace every session, and retain logs for years — all on a cost-effective, Indian-engineered platform.

⚙️ Simplify your compliance journey.
Visit www.anexgate.com

AnexGATE Insights