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Consumers expect more devices to be connected with netizens as forerunners: Ericsson report
MUMBAI: A research conducted by Swedish telecom gear maker Ericsson Consumer Lab named ‘A Networked Life’ stated that consumers expect more devices to be connected as there are endless options for connectivity. It also predicts that more connected devices will ultimately lead to redefined networked lifestyle needs.
Consumers have only now begun to enter the era of networked lifestyles, and they expect greater mobility and an increasing number of devices to become connected.
The report states that consumers recognize the benefits of various devices in their life becoming connected; the analysis has been broadly classified in three categories viz. overall, un-recognised and netizens.
Data for the report has been gathered through 45,290 face-to-face and online interviews with people form the age group of 15-69 years old, representing about 1.2 billion people across 24 countries including Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden, the UK and the US.
Chile with 32 per cent, South Korea with 29 per cent and Brazil with 28 percent have the highest penetration of internet users.
The forerunners of the networked lifestyle are the netizens who spend more time online on a wider range of services than others. They comprise 17 per cent globally.
The report says that 65 per cent of netizens participate in a sharing economy, compared to 9 per cent of un-networked. They spend the most amount of time on the internet.
Also that 98 per cent of netizens own more than one device (smartphone and other devices like a laptop or tablet).
For instance, research and analysis showed 52 per cent surveyed internet users want their TVs to be connected to the internet. Whereas 24 per cent of consumers also state that they are using services that allow them to use a movie, TV show or video on one device and then resume playing from another device.
Based on research in 12 countries, it was found that the average number of devices connected to the internet has increased to 4.1 devices in 2015 as compared to 3.1 devices per household in 2014. Because of this, consumers are spending more time online incorporating digital services and devices with everyday activities.
The report says that video streaming apps have the potential to become main stream on a global scale in the near future; which could potentially have large ripple effects on the entertainment industry.
In terms of India the report states that the percentage of Netizens in India stood at 48 per cent. And it has one of the highest levels of peer-to-peer sharing at 79 per cent among the local netizen community. A sizeable 56 per cent of people in India feel it is easier to find products and services on the internet than through friends and family.
Ericsson Consumer Lab Director Vishnu Singh said, “The reason for people’s increasing use of the internet is that their perceived value of it is growing along with the rise in usage. The networked lifestyle is all-inclusive because the benefit for each individual user increases as more people participate in the internet.”
The report states that Brazil, China and Colombia are the countries to have high numbers of netizens who use the internet less than once a week or not at all.
Whereas countries like Germany and US with lower proportions of netizens in highly industrialized countries are balanced by a larger distribution of those who use the internet with some regularity.
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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.
