Broadband
Will mobile devices/alternate screens takeover television?
In an age where the usage of connected devices is booming, it is a huge benefit for consumers to be able to watch content on alternate screens, alongside the conventional way, increasing the amount of overall content consumption in the Nation.
The alternate screens for a television viewing experience include Connected TVs, Internet Set-Top Boxes, Personal Computers, Smart-phones, Tablets and Smart Blu-ray players. Connected TVs (Smart TVs) are integrated with the internet, providing a technological convergence between computers and television sets/set-top boxes – these provide online interactive media, Internet TV, over-the-top content and on-demand streaming of media. Similarly, computers can also be used for streaming live television over the internet via websites. In the context of India, the use of mobile devices in the Nation has sky-rocketed, owing to the combination of inexpensive devices, low tariffs and the introduction of various applications, including those made particularly to stream television content such as Hotstar (Star TV) and most recently, VOOT (Viacom). Hotstar outdid apps such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to become the fastest to cross the million downloads mark within a week. VOOT is the only OTT player to start with original content from Day 1, which has specifically been made only for the digital platform itself.
With the advent of Netflix in India, we have the liberty to reap the benefits of the world’s top video streaming service, which allows users to watch content on various screens, now entering the Indian space with subscription for as low as Rs. 500. Globally, Netflix has been used extensively – with an average of 45GB of data consumed by their 20 million subscribers, across 130 countries per month. In the US, 36% of US homes are subscribed to the platform. In order to match increasing demands, Netflix pushed 329,400,000,000 GBs of data in 2015. Another factor that can be done away with whilst using alternate screens is to avoid watching advertisements; it was estimated that Netflix subscribers avoided watching 130 hours of commercials per year, by not watching broadcast TV.
Another powerful entrant providing 4G-based digital services with offers such as on-demand content and launching with 450 channels is Reliance JioPlay, with cutting edge features such as voice control and program catch-ups. Yet another introduction by one of the kingpins, Zee Entertainment, is OZEE, leaving consumers spoilt for choice with their video-on-demand platform, whereby the content of Zee channels is made available almost instantly, complementing the wave of viewers breaking away from appointment television. Collaboratively, there is much to look forward to in the realm that is Live TV on alternate screens of content consumption.
The success of these initiatives has come on the back of the increased usage of mobile devices and the internet; India currently has 980 million active mobile users, 171 million smart-phone users and 272 million wireless internet subscribers. To gauge an understanding of the current scenario of mobile usage around the world, the global internet average speed is supposedly 5.1 Mbps, with highest in South Korea at 23.6 Mpbs and 2.3 Mpbs in India.
A report by Ernst and Young expresses that Smart-phone penetration in the country is expected to grow to 520 million by 2020. To add to this this, the next phase of internet usage is expected to come from Tier II and Tier III cities, through wireless mobile internet. Basis the fact that Indian consumers have a significant inclination towards watching regional content, by 2020, of the 650 million internet users, 50-55 per cent are expected to be rural users, from the earlier 33% in 2013.
Pankaj Krishna, CEO & Founder of Chrome Data Analytics & Media, expressed his views, “Linear television continues to be the largest form of television viewing, in spite of technological advancements in the industry and alternate platforms to watch content, including tabs and mobile devices. They say old habits die hard; despite the paper and ink of newspapers being the costliest, they are still read as much as always – the same notion holds when it comes the conventional TV set. There are two qualities of viewing that one can choose – be it a 40″ TV screen or a 5″ tablet, the former is still as popular and, thus, may not be completely replaceable.”
Thus, it is safe to say that omni-platform content is taking over the nation (and world) by storm, without greatly cannibalizing viewing through conventional television sets, but instead – increasing the usage of other forms of content distribution. This use of smaller screens will fuel watching content individually, with 45% of all content consumed expected to be on the small screen by the next four years. The question is whether the rise of these alternate platforms will eventually make a dent in conventional television content viewing, or not, in the years to come.
Broadband
Tejas Networks names Arnob Roy as MD and CEO, overhauls top leadership team
The Bengaluru-based telecom gear maker reshuffles its entire top team even as quarterly revenue collapses by 83 per cent
BENGALURU: Tejas Networks is changing the guard at the top, and doing so at speed. The Bengaluru-headquartered telecom equipment maker has elevated Arnob Roy as managing director and chief executive officer, effective April 15, 2026, for a term running through to August 3, 2028, and in the same breath announced new appointments across operations and finance. The timing is pointed: the company is navigating one of the roughest patches in its recent history.
Roy steps up from his role as executive director and chief operating officer, a position he has held since March 2019. He brings more than three decades of experience in the high-technology sector across research and development, operations, and sales. His predecessor, Anand Athreya, resigned last year citing personal reasons and was relieved on June 20, 2025, leaving a gap at the top that has now been formally filled.
The numbers Roy inherits are sobering. Tejas posted a net loss of Rs 211.3 crore in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026, a near-194 per cent widening year on year from Rs 71.8 crore in the same period a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter collapsed 82.6 per cent year on year to Rs 333 crore, down from Rs 1,907 crore. EBITDA swung to a loss of Rs 118.2 crore against a profit of Rs 121.5 crore a year ago. The culprit is not hard to identify: Tejas has derived the bulk of its revenue from BSNL’s fourth-generation network project, delivered as part of a Tata Consultancy Services-driven consortium, and that roll-out is now winding down.
Roy, speaking during a post-earnings conference call with analysts, was candid about where the company has been. “The BSNL 4G network went live across 100,000 sites. We deployed our largest indigenous router networks in the country through the BSNL MAN network, as well as in the BharatNet Phase 3 network,” he said, adding that Tejas had also successfully rolled out its 400G and 800G DWDM equipment in domestic and international markets, and continued the deployment of what it describes as the world’s largest satellite IoT network through its vehicle tracking system solution.
The pivot to new revenue streams is already under way. Tejas has partnered with Japan’s Rakuten Symphony and NEC Corporation to push deeper into international markets, with several Open Radio Access Network trials ongoing, one of which concluded recently. The company is also diversifying across equipment categories and geographies to sustain momentum as the BSNL chapter closes.
To prosecute that strategy, Roy needs a full team around him. Preetham Uthaiah has been appointed chief operating officer, moving up from his current role as vice president of product management for wireless products at Tejas Networks. Uthaiah brings nearly 30 years of global experience spanning engineering, product management, and business development across India and the United States. Before joining Tejas Networks, he served as executive vice president of product management, marketing, and strategy at Saankhya Labs, and held senior roles at Tech Mahindra on both sides of the Atlantic. He holds an MBA from Arizona State University and a degree in electronics and communications from Karnatak University.
On the finance front, AVS Prasad has been approved as chief financial officer, effective May 16, 2026, succeeding Sumit Dhingra, who has resigned. Prasad, currently serving as finance controller at Tejas Networks, brings over 27 years of experience within the Tata Group across telecom, aerostructures, and defence. A company secretary and cost and management accountant by training, he has spent more than 15 years in senior finance roles including CFO and financial controller positions, with expertise spanning corporate finance, treasury management, regulatory compliance, internal audit, and governance.
New chief executive, new chief operating officer, new chief financial officer — all installed in a single move, at a moment when the company’s largest revenue source is drying up and the next chapter remains unwritten. Tejas Networks has placed its bets. Now it has to deliver.
