Broadband
Jio continued to add subscribers rapidly in July 2018
BENGALURU: Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani’s largest startup in the world in the form of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, or simply Jio, continued adding subscribers at almost constant rate in the month of July 2018 (Jul-18) according to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) Telecom subscription data. According to the available Trai data for Jul-18, Jio’s subscriber base had been growing at about 5 per cent compounded rate month on month (m-o-m) in calendar year 2018. Jul-18 was no different. Jio’s subscriber base grew by 5.19 percent to 2,270.5 lakh in Jul-18 from 2,152.6 lakh in Jun-18. Since December 31, 2017, Jio had added 669.6 lakh subscribers until Jul-18– it grew 41.83 per cent in the period.
Trai data for Jul-18 says that as per the reports received from 293 operators, the number of broadband subscribers increased from 4,471.2 lakh (447.12 million, 44.712 crore) at the end of Jun-18 to 4,692.4 lakh (460.24 million, 46.042 crore) at the end of Jul-18 with a monthly growth rate of 2.93 per cent. Subscriber numbers for all the three broadband services segments – wireline or wired; mobile devices comprising of phones and dongles; and fixed wireless (Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, Point-to- Point Radio & VSAT) grew in Jul-18. Please refer to the figure below:
The top five service providers constituted 97.75 per cent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Jul-18. These service providers were Jio (2270.5 lakh, 227.05 million 22.705 crore), Bharti Airtel or Airtel (953.3 lakh, 95.33 million, 9.533 crore), Vodafone (637.9 lakh, 63.79 million, 6,379 crore), Idea Cellular (435.2 lakh, 43.52 million, 4,352 crore) and BSNL (201.8 lakh, 20.18 million, 2.018 crore).
Wireless broadband internet
Wireless broadband subscribers growth in absolute numbers was led by Jio, followed by Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular and the public sector BSNL. BSNL was the only player among the top 5 wireless broadband internet services providers that lost subscribers in Jul-18.
As on 31 July, 2018, the top five wireless broadband service providers were Jio (2,270.5 lakh, 227.05 million, 22.705 crore), Bharti Airtel (931.1 lakh, 93.11 million, 9.311 crore), Vodafone (639.7 lakh, 63.79 million, 6.379 crore), Idea Cellular (435.2 lakh, 43.52 million, 4,352 crore) and BSNL (110.03 lakh, 11.03 million, 1.103 crore). Please refer to the figure below:
Wired broadband internet
Wired broadband internet subscribers grew by 50,000 in Jul-18, but none of the top 5 wirelline internet service providers showed any substantial growth in Jul-18. As on 31 July, 2018, the top five wired broadband serviceproviders were BSNL (91.5 lakh, 9.15 million, 0.915 crore), Bharti Airtel (22.1 lakh, 2.21 million, 0.221 crore), Atria Convergence Technologies (13.4 lakh, 1.34 million, 0.134 crore), MTNL (8.30 lakh, 0.83 million, 0.083 crore) and Hathway Cable & Datacom (7.5 lakh, 0.75 million, 0.075 crore).Please refer to the figure below:
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.
