Broadband
Airtel Xstream reports 2 mn paid subscribers; targets 20 million
Mumbai: The telecom operator Bharti Airtel said its video streaming service, Airtel Xstream has achieved two million paid subscribers. Airtel Xstream offers a bouquet of OTT platforms to consumers across mobile and large screen formats.
”We are the fastest-growing OTT aggregator in India with two million paid subscribers,” Airtel Digital CEO Adarsh Nair told a news agency.
Airtel Xstream is well-positioned to solve the challenges faced by both OTT content providers and customers, he added. ”Customers face fragmented viewing experiences, multiple platforms for content, and pricing challenges, which Airtel Xstream solves.”
The accelerated growth is also due to the ability to meet the needs of Indian consumers for compelling regional content. ”In addition to our existing partnership with 15 OTTs such as ErosNow, SonyLiv, Lionsgate, Hoichoi, ManoramaMax, Shemaroo, Ultra, Hungama Play, Ultra, EPICon, Docubay, DivoTV, etc, we have recently partnered with Chaupal TV and Kanncha Lanka, two of the most promising regional platforms with a dedicated viewership base across India, and we will now be able to extend our services to Punjabi, Bhojpuri, and Odia speaking audiences as well,” Nair said.
Consumers are recognizing the value proposition of good content being accessible without the hassles of multiple subscriptions. Airtel Xstream brings multiple OTTs under one login, one experience, and a single subscription price, he observed.
Announcing it has crossed the two million paid subscriber milestone, Airtel Xstream said significant user interest through repeat recharges/ subscriptions was seen in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
The average viewing time on Airtel XStream is about 150 minutes which is increasing consistently and highlights customer stickiness.
”SonyLiv, Hungama, Eros Now, and Lions Gate play are the most searched for content partners on the platform. Multiple content properties from Sony occupy a position in the trending top 10 list,” the company said.
Airtel is looking to achieve the 20 million paid subscriptions mark for Airtel Xstream. The addition of Chaupal TV and Kanncha Lanka will increase the platform’s appeal to the audiences in Punjab and Odisha and the diaspora based elsewhere in the country.
Airtel has also brought onboard Social Swag, an influencer commerce platform backed by celebrities such as Akshay Kumar, Rana Daggubati, and Mahesh Bhupathi.
”Our accelerated growth is due to our ability to meet the needs of the Indian consumer for great regional content. We will be doubling down on our regional strategy with our existing partners and will continue to onboard new partners with stellar regional content catalogues,” Nair said.
Mobile subscribers can select one OTT provider from the bouquet with a minimum recharge of Rs 148.
The large screen format, launched earlier this year as Xstream Premium is also available at Rs 149 and enables access to over 10,500 movie titles and shows along with Live TV from Airtel’s OTT content partners such as Sony LIV, Eros Now, Lionsgate Play, Hoichoi, ManoramaMax, Shemaroo, Ultra, HungamaPlay, EPICon, Docubay, DivoTV among others.
The Indian OTT sector is one of the most competitive emerging markets, with over 40 players in the ecosystem.
The market is growing rapidly and expected to reach $2 billion by 2025, Nair said, adding that Airtel Xstream is “enthused” by the accelerated growth and hopes to maintain the momentum.
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.
