Broadband
ACT enters TRAI’s top 5 broadband players list
BENGALURU: South Indian wired broadband internet services provider Atria Convergence Technologies Limited was among Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) list of top 5 broadband internet services providers in the month ended 31 July 2019 (Jul-19, month or period under consideration). ACT added approximately 20,000 subscribers during the month under consideration to reach a subscriber base of 0.147 crore (14.7 million, 1.47 million). Also, You Broadband with 0.075 crore (7.5 lakh, 0.75 million) wired broadband subscribers,
re-entered TRAI’s list of top 5 wired broadband internet players with the exit of the public sector MTNL from that list
Overall Broadband Internet subscriber base
As per TRAI data for Jul-19, India’s broadband subscriber base across all platforms grew 2.25 percent or by 0.953 crore (95.3 lakh, 9.53 million) to 60.412 crore (6,041.2 lakh, 604.12 million) from 59.459 crore (5,945.9 lakh, 595.49 million) in Jun-19. Please refer to the figure below:
The top five service providers constituted 98.95 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Jul-19. These service providers were Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd with 33.979 crore (3,397.9 lakh, 339.79 million) subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 12.394 crore (1,239.4 lakh, 123.94 million) subscribers, Vodafone Idea with 11.092 crore (1,109.2 lakh, 110.92 million) subscribers, BSNL with 2.164 crore (216.4 lakh, 21.64 million) subscribers and Atria Convergence with 0.147 crore (14.7 lakh, 1.47 million) subscribers.
Wired Broadband Internet subscribers
The number of wired broadband internet subscribers grew by just 10,000 in July-19. ACT and Hathway showed growth in subscribers, while BSNL and Bharti Airtel showed stagnant subscriber bases. As mentioned above, MTNL exited TRAI’s list of top 5 wired broadband internet servive providers while You Broadband re-entered it. ACT grew its base by 20,000 subscribers while Hathway’ssubscriber base grew by 10,000. This means that the other players which include MSOs’/LCOs’, lost 20,000 subscribersduring Jul-19.
As on 31 July, 2019, the top five Wired Broadband Service providers were BSNL with 0.095 crore (90.5 lakh 9.05 million) subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 0.24 crore (24 lakh, 2.40 million) subscribers, Atria Convergence Technologies with 0.147 crore (14.7 lakh, 1.47 million), Hathway Cable & Datacom with 0.085 crore (8.5 lakh, 0.85 million) subscribers and You Broadband with 0.075 crore (7.5 lakh, 0.75 million).
Wireless Broadband Internet subscribers
As on 31 July, 2019, the top five Wireless Broadband Service providers were Reliance JioInfocomm Ltd with 33.979 crore (3,397.9 lakh 339.79 million) subscribers, Bharti Airtel with 12.154 crore (1,215.4 lakh, 121.54 million)subscribers, Vodafone Idea with 11.090 crore (1,109 lakh, 110.90 million) subscribers, BSNL with 1.258 crore (125.8 lakh, 12.58 million) subscribers and MTNL with 0.021 crore (2.1 lakh, 0.21 million) subscribers.
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.
