Tech Mahindra (1) can build and run an entire 4G or 5G network in India, said a senior executive. Its collaboration with Japanese telco Rakuten (2) will assist it to get more business in India’s telecom industry. Tech Mahindra is working with all three Indian private telecom operators.
The company is also likely to bid for state-run telecom Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited’s (BSNL) 4G tender.
The firm recently agreed with ITI Limited to make 4G equipment in India. The Tech Mahindra is planning to partner with domestic firms to form an association for BSNL’s 4G project.
Tech Mahindra had previously invested in Altiostar, a US company. It develops software that allows the virtualization of solutions on 4G and 5G networks. It enables telecoms to build end-to-end web-scale cloud-native systems. Bharti Airtel has established the Altiostar solution in India.
Initiatives of Tech Mahindra
Manish Vyas, CEO, Network Services, Tech Mahindra said, the company has built its reference architecture for the telecom network. It also has technologies and a set of companies that are integral to the whole suite.
He added that the firm supports building India stack to make both the business and network side of systems and operations. Also, the firm is continuously looking to contribute towards building a stack. It has invested in technologies like Artificial Intelligence and is contributing to the ORAN initiative, says Vyas.
Further, Manish said that the company is exploring all the options. The firm knows the area it wants to play and the problems it needs to solve. It will continuously look for the right toolset to become a better solution provider. So, strategic investments may not give companies ownership but will get them access to technology and platforms.
Vyas said that the firm is a go-to-market partner with Rakuten. The direction of their investments and initiatives depends on what Rakuten eventually achieves. He added, it is not mere coincidence that they are part of Rakuten’s story because their philosophy is the same.
