Broadband
India on prime agenda at 12th Convergence India conference
MUMBAI:The broadband show for new generation networks, the 12th Convergence India 2004 is all set to make convergence happen. Touted as the largest telecom event in India, and scheduled to be held from 18-20 March at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, the show will focus on the tools, technologies and policy perspectives of the emerging convergence scenario in India, showcasing innovative products and services.
Over 22 countries are participating in this event, including France, China, Korea, Israel and the US. Organised by Exhibitions India, an ISO 9001:2000 certified company, the international exhibition and conference is held in an area spread over 100,000 sq ft.
The exhibition will emphasise on innovative technology in real-life business environment – targeting improved productivity, new revenue streams, and market implementation of business models and technologies. The focus of the exhibition is to highlight India as an investment destination in the convergence sector.
The participants include the carriers and telcos, players from the broadcast and cable, the multimedia and Internet, the networks and computing, the IT hardware and software, the smart card technologies, the satellite and space technologies and telecommunication equipment industries, says a company release.
Says Exhibitions India, MD Prem Behl, “In countries like India, the ICT future depends on providing low cost solutions for development of communications in rural areas. Convergence India 2004 will provide the right platform for focused networking between the government and the industry and an insight on the impact of convergent communications on overall development.”
Besides offering a platform to the Indian sector, the high profile international attendees at the conference will also debate on critical industry issues ranging from broadband and mobility, to new business models and new sources of revenue. With the theme for this year’s conference being New Generation Convergent Communications, the two parallel tracks will run simultaneously with sessions highlighting Access Technologies, Satellite Communications, Broadcast Technologies, Billing and CRM and VoIP.
The international conference will address recent market challenges and provide a platform for all participants to deliberate upon the symbiotic relationship between the government and industry to bridge the digital divide and keep pace with the rapidly advanced technologies and generate new sources of growth, says the release.
According to the release, the aim of this year’s conference will be to help to formulate policy frameworks to confront the new realities facing the telecommunications industry and highlight the critical issues, technologies and standards that are shaping the nature and direction of global telecommunications.
While the principal sponsor of the event is BSNL, diamond sponsor is ZTE, ruby sponsor is Korea Telecom, gold sponsor is Qualcomm, silver sponsor is Huawei Technologies, and workshop sponsor is Hewlett Packard. Other sponsors include orning, Europe Star, Harmonic, Veraz Networks, VocalTec, Speedera and Lucent Technologies. The bandwidth partner is Spectranet and the official Internet service provider is STPI.
Co-sponsored by DOT Department of Telecommunication, the event is co-organized by Association of Basic Telecom Operators; Consumer Electronics and TV Manufacturers Association; Cellular Electronics and TV Manufacturers Association, Department of Information Technology; Global VSAT Forum; Indo-American Chambers of Commerce; Internet Service Providers Association of India; Manufacturers Association of Information Technology; Telecom Equipment Manufactures Association of India and VSAT Services Association of India.
The event is supported by All India Aavishkar Dish Antenna Sangh; Cable Operators Federation of India; Electronic Component Industries Association; International Broadcasting Convention; Institution of Electronics & telecommunications Engineers; National Association of Broadcasters; Swiss Multimedia Association and Telecom Users Group, adds the release.
The leading national and international participants at the event are Alvarion, Isreal; Andrew Telecommunications India Pvt Ltd, India/USA; AudioCodes Ltd, Isreal; Bharti Infotel Limited, India; Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL), India; Cirpack, France; Communications and Power Industries/ Satcom Division, USA; Da-San Networks, Korea; Ditech Communications Corporation, USA; Europe*Star Limited, UK; Eurostar Network Private Limited, India; Eutelsat S.A., France; Fracarro Radioindustrie S.p.A., Italy; Fujitsu Microelectronics Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore; Hewlett Packard Company (HP Bazaar), Finland; Horizon Satellite Services, Saudi Arabia; Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., China; ICX Global, USA; Inmarsat, UK; Intelsat, USA; ITI Limited, India; Jaewoo Coporation, Korea; ke-Kommunikations Elektronik, Germany; Korea Telecom, Korea; Loral Skynet, USA; Lucent Technologies, USA; MCI, USA; Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd., India; New Skies Satellites, The Netherlands; Newtec Cy, Belgium; Nortel Networks, France; Qualcomm Incorporated, USA; RailTel Corporation of India Ltd., India; SAF Tehnika A/S, Lativia; Sagem, France; Tekelec, USA; Transition Networks , USA; Tripoint Global, USA; UTStarcom, Inc., USA; Veraz Networks, Ltd, USA and Israel; VocalTec Communications Ltd., USA & Israel; Zamana Consultants Ltd., India; and ZTE Corporation, China.
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.
