TCS to promote 5G equipment developed in India on international markets: COO

15 Sep 2023 , 10:44 AM

In order to promote locally built and manufactured fifth generation, or 5G, radio network gear and address supply chain problems, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is trying to enter international markets, particularly the US.

According to TCS Chief Operating Officer NG Subramaniam to ETTelecom, ‘The N78 5G radios designed by Tejas Networks may be qualified for all greenfield and brownfield 5G opportunities that present themselves to the company globally, including that in the US.’

The N78 radio, created by Saankhya Labs, is currently produced by Bengaluru-based Tejas Networks, which purchased the telecom start-up early last year. It is compatible with the 3300 MHz spectrum band.

Tejas Networks, a local producer of telecom equipment, was acquired by Tata Sons in 2021.

With the recently finished G20 meeting as a backdrop, New Delhi and Washington reaffirmed their dedication to 5G and 6G technologies, with US President Joe Biden urging Indian businesses to sponsor the Rip and Replace program, set to debut in 2020.

The plan enables US corporations to remove telecom equipment installed by Chinese Huawei and ZTE in response to concerns over Beijing’s suspected use of backdoors to steal and snoop on commercial secrets.

As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) initiative, India has recently taken aggressive steps to increase its domestic production of telecom equipment. The telecom technology development fund (TTDF), which was unveiled in 2022, was created to address supply chain disruptions caused by Covid-induced shutdowns.

According to Subramaniam, TCS, a systems integrator (SI) with offices in Mumbai, makes suitable contributions to research groups, the standards for 5G Advanced and 6G, and international forums like the 3GPP or third-generation partnership project.

The next generation (4G) network program for the public sector’s Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is currently being supplied by TCS-controlled Tejas.

Following the proof-of-concept (PoC) at multiple locations, a TCS-backed partnership that includes Tejas and the state-owned Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DoT) has started deploying more than 100,000 4G stations for BSNL.

India and the US decided to work together on 5G and 6G research as well as joint Open RAN initiatives during the G20 meeting.

The White House had stated in a statement that ‘further collaboration includes establishing two joint task forces on advanced telecommunications, focused on Open RAN and research and development in 5G/6G technologies.’

The action was taken to compete with China, which is already making technological advancements in the sixth generation (6G).

The US Next G Alliance, sponsored by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS), and the Indian Bharat 6G Alliance will coordinate vendors and operators from the two nations.

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