Broadband
MTNL, Reliance make their case for broadband at seminar
MUMBAI: While the issue of addressability is still to be sorted out in the country one delivery method that has promise is broadband. At this afternoon’s seminar on broadcasting and distribution of television channels Reliance and MTNL both laid out the case for broadband.
Reliance Infocomm’s Colonel Vinod Khare said that the company’s aim was to provide entertainment over internet protocol (IP). “Our set top box will be intreactive. Since packet technology will be used there is no chance of signals getting stolen or data getting lost. We will have broadcast content, 24 hour internet, interactivity as well as time shifted television. You will be able to freeze live television. The broadcasters will have transparency as each box will have a number. We will set up customer carecentres where your call will be answered within five rings.”
MTNL GM J. Gopal said that the company was planning to
launch wi fi services soon. ADSL is the technology being used for its broadband project. It has set up customer premises equipment. The copper wire into the home can carry high speed data along with low speed voice. 1000 ADSL lines have been installed. Some customers have been able to download several gigabytes of data in one month as a result Gopal claimed. In the future MTNL is examining the possibility of tying up with cable television operators.
“We have received proposals from four cable operators. A total investment of Rs. 2 billion is needed. We will provide 100,000 ADSL lines. Our other planned initiatives include video on demand and gaming. For cable TV one concept that we would look at is letting the consumer have the option of viewing content with or without ads. Of course if there are no ads the price will be higher.”
On a different note DD’s Mukesh Sharma stressed the importance of a strong pubcaster. ” A strong public broadcaster can fulfill the needs of the citizens. We provide information and a common national outlook through shared experiences. that was the case with Mhabharaata and Ramayana before the influx of foreign channels. The danger is that if television channels do not talk about our culture, value systems we could lose our identity. At the same time it is important that our culture not lose appeal. We need solid reliable funding and at the moment it is not quite clear as to where that is supposed to come from. That is why the quality of our shows is being affected.”
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.
