Broadband
Mukesh Ambani promises market disruption with JioGigaFiber
MUMBAI: Mukesh Ambani today gave a clarion call to competitors saying that Reliance GigaFiber will bring about the same revolution in fixed line broadband as Reliance Jio had done with mobile data consumption making India the biggest mobile data consumers in the world.
Speaking at the India Mobile Congress being held in New Delhi today, Ambani said, “Jio is committed to building a deep-fibre network across the country and ensuring that every premise is connected with the highest quality network. All of us are proud that India has become the world’s largest mobile data consuming nation. We now have a similar opportunity to replicate this success in fixed broadband as well.”
When Reliance Industries announced the launch of JioGigaFiber, it was revealed the project would be rolled out in the shortest possible time. Additionally, RIL has acquired 58.92 per cent stake in Den Networks and 51.34 per cent in Hathway Cable and Datacom Limited, both MSOs.
“From day one JioGigaFiber will offer complete fixed-mobile convergence where Indians will travel seamlessly between mobile and fixed broadband network 4G and 5G when on the move and Wi-Fi when indoors,” Ambani added.
In the last two years, the Indian telecom sector has gone through a revolutionary change. In less than two years, India has moved from 155th rank in mobile broadband penetration to the top position. Now after 2G to 4g transformation, India is on the verge of experiencing 5G soon.
“By 2020, I believe that India will be a fully-4G country… and ready for 5G ahead of others. Every phone in India will be a 4G enabled phone and every customer will have access to 4G connectivity,” he said.
He also mentioned that digital connectivity can transform rural India comprehensively. According to statistics shared by him, as many as 50 million villagers have got affordable smartphones in the last eight months. Moreover, for many of them, this is the first radio and music player, TV, camera internet.
“This combination of connectivity with affordability is unparalleled in the world. I would like to acknowledge the contribution of the government’s BharatNet program in providing high-quality connectivity in some of the remotest areas of our country. This transformation will accelerate as we get ready for a 5G world driven by the pro-active approach of the government,” he added.
The highly optimistic man thinks digital technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, blockchain, internet of things, virtual reality and augmented reality will propel the entire economy of the country along with the fourth industrial revolution.
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.
