Latest news with #MuntazirAbbas
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Qualcomm taps India's auto tech potential in $8 billion growth push
With an existing base of 22,000 engineers in India, it is further open to strategic acquisitions of Indian startups to deepen its local R&D and product capabilities in the mobility space. In an interaction with ET's Shubhangi Bhatia and Muntazir Abbas, Nakul Duggal , Group General Manager – Automotive and Industrial & Embedded IoT at Qualcomm Technologies talks about company's India strategy, market potential, two-wheeler segment, revenue targets, ADAS adoption, and Google partnership. Edited excerpts: How do you see the Indian market unfolding for Qualcomm? It's really about the level of attention we're giving to the Indian market, and that's driven by the future opportunity we see. As the market evolves from being relatively low on digital integration to becoming increasingly digital-first, the potential becomes more compelling. How is Qualcomm viewing the transformation of the automotive sector in India, especially given its extensive work with global OEMs? How do you see India's journey in this space? I began visiting India with a focus on the automotive sector about six or seven years ago, when the spotlight was on EVs and digital-first platforms. It was also my first real exposure to localisation. I observed every major automaker had figured out how to adapt global platforms to meet local needs. But, this process is complex, because you need to build a platform that's competitive within the local ecosystem while still solving challenges that are being addressed in other parts of the world. We were struck by how some OEMs– particularly those operating in highly price-sensitive segments–heavily rely on their Tier-1 suppliers in this effort, and others were focused on bringing differentiation in-house to own the value they created, even if it meant taking on more risk. Over time, global OEMs were putting pressure on the market, and Indian OEMs were increasingly looking outward, observing trends and capabilities emerging abroad. It was clear that everyone needed to figure out how to differentiate. The question shifted from 'if' to 'how'; whether to build in-house, and whether they had the people, culture, and risk appetite. Our role is to support that journey, whether by enabling partners to build on our platforms or working directly with capable OEMs. We've approached India like any global market, to localise solutions to fit. What are the key challenges you're observing in the Indian market, and how is Qualcomm, as a global technology leader, addressing them? There is always a degree of cost sensitivity in the market. But at the same time, I believe we're at an inflection point where customers are now willing to pay more for features they truly value. For instance, we spoke with two manufacturers who shared an interesting insight. They produce a specific motorcycle model in two variants: one with a digital cluster and another with an analog. They initially built 20 per cent of the bikes with digital clusters and 80 per cent with analog ones. The digital version sold out immediately, while demand for the analog version remained largely unchanged. And the price difference was just ₹500 to ₹1,000. This shows that if you tap into the customer's desire for modern, engaging features, something that feels unique and enhances their experience, they're ready to pay a little more. It's about creating a seamless experience that people naturally want to interact with, something that goes beyond what their phone alone can offer. How have you seen investment trends among automakers evolve over the past decade, particularly with connectivity now taking center stage? Yes, the first major shift we've seen is that automakers now recognise the need to own their differentiation. They can no longer rely on tier-1 suppliers to define what makes their products unique. Previously, OEMs would make superficial changes to standardised platforms, by altering colours, layouts, or button placements, while the core software remained identical. That model no longer works. Today, it's not just about customisation, it's about owning the entire user experience. Take our work with Epic Games, for example. By integrating Unreal Engine, which is a high-end graphics platform not traditionally part of automotive, we've enabled OEMs to build sophisticated, custom interfaces. But, this also means OEMs must invest in internal capabilities: learning the tools, specifying design requirements, and driving their own UX vision. This shift deliberately puts control back in the hands of the OEM. If they don't step up and their competitors do, they risk falling behind with outdated interfaces. And as soon as one brand launches a standout digital feature, the rest will be asking, 'How do we match that, and who can help us get there?' How is the Qualcomm Snapdragon Digital Chassis supporting Indian automakers during the course of their transformation? Also, could you share more about your partnership with Google and integration into the ecosystem? The digital chassis is fundamentally about simplifying what OEMs have traditionally sourced from tier-1 suppliers. Typically, automakers interact with a box offering fixed features, without visibility into how the system is built. Our approach changes as we educate and empower OEMs to make informed decisions and co-develop complete, end-to-end solutions with us. We have partnered with Google for over a decade across automotive and smartphones. In the digital chassis, our collaboration focuses on integrating Google's consumer experiences, like Maps, Android OS, voice assistants, and now Gemini AI, into the vehicle environment. However, vehicles require these features to coexist with safety-critical, real-time systems, which is something beyond Google's traditional smartphone focus. We address that by offering a pre-integrated platform with Google's ecosystem built in, dramatically reducing the complexity and friction for automakers. How do you see ADAS adoption evolving in India over the next three to five years? What are the key challenges, particularly around infrastructure, and how prepared do you think OEMs are to drive this transition? India has a unique opportunity to leapfrog by building intelligent infrastructure from the outset. Situational awareness, enabled by technologies like road-mounted cameras, can significantly reduce congestion and accidents by alerting drivers in real time about hazards such as animals, pedestrians, or unlit parked vehicles. Having lived in India, I understand how unpredictable road conditions can be. Embedding intelligence into infrastructure can address this complexity and dramatically improve safety outcomes. Globally, we have seen success with similar systems. If there's one area where we'd like to influence policy, it's ensuring that newly built government infrastructure is designed to be intelligent and capable of broadcasting real-time data. We are ready to work with our partners to integrate V2X (vehicle-to-everything) into vehicles to support this vision. China offers a strong example– five years ago, new highways there included V2X support, and drivers were issued portable units at toll booths to receive real-time alerts. This approach improved road safety without waiting for all vehicles to be V2X-equipped. What is your target revenue from the automobile sector business worldwide in the next few years? We are on track to reach $8 billion revenue by 2029. Currently, we earn around $950 million in quarterly revenue from the automobile business. Are you open to acquiring some new companies, especially start-ups from India in the auto tech sector? Yes, all the time. We invest heavily and many times we acquire. We are open to working and acquiring start-ups coming from India.
Time of India
29-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
American Cisco to bolster Ambani's Jio hyperscale ambition, enable large data centres
The US digital communications technology conglomerate Cisco Systems, working with India's Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, is well equipped to handle space broadband traffic, following device validation with Elon Musk-owned Starlink, and can now offer end-to-end visibility into the satellite network. In an interaction with ETTelecom's Muntazir Abbas, Guru Shenoy, senior vice president of provider connectivity, Cisco, talks on India's telecom landscape, agile network, agentic AI, public sector business, data centre partnership with Jio, and a recent Starlink validation. Edited excerpts: How are you looking at the opportunities, especially in the telecom space in India? The primary business that service providers have is connectivity. For example, Jio and Airtel in India, want to go big in broadband. So, it needs to be secure and resilient. The other angle is the new devices that we are building with our Cisco 8000 portfolio. These are designed to converge all different kinds of access onto the same box. Now there is a satellite coming into the picture. You need different kinds of equipment often to terminate satellites and bring that onto the router. And then you have cellular radios that are also connected to routers. Oftentimes, these used to be separate devices. What we have done with our newest generation of devices. It can also connect to satellite ground stations all in a single device. Coming to your agile network, you have a bunch of deployments. So, can you just name a few of them? So, the public references we have are Aurelien in Europe, and Colt. We also have Swisscom in Europe. We have Reliance Jio in India. That's another big public reference for us. Cisco 8000 and this agile services networking that I am talking about, the routers, have been adopted. It's the fastest adoption we have seen in the history of Cisco Service Provider Networking. So, the adoption curve has been huge. Cisco has been talking about agentic AI. Are you in discussions with service providers for this? This is very new technology, we have announced. So, the Cisco service provider version of it is called Crosswork, and again, it's part of the agile services networking infrastructure. We have three pieces there. We have routers; we have pluggable connectivity with optical and then we have the automation tool. So, Cisco Crosswork is our brand for the tool that manages service provider networks. Crosswork exists in most major service providers today already. We are bringing AI capabilities into those, and there are two that we have just released. It's a new release, and we are in the labs of most of these customers. By the end of the year, we should have some public references. In India and even globally, there is a lot of conversation happening on space broadband services. Both terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) are complementary to each other. How is Cisco as a multinational, gearing up to enable products in the longer run? So, what Starlink does is they bring their satellite connectivity. And they can offer it to end customers. But when they connect the end customers, it goes into space and then comes back to their ground station. They need to connect their ground station to somebody for that traffic to be carried somewhere else, and that somebody is always a service provider. Service providers are connecting their equipment, handing off the traffic to Starlink on one side or taking the traffic from Starlink and then carrying it wherever it needs to be carried, that's the model. The problem has been that these are two completely different networks, so you need a lot of work to integrate that. What we have done is we have done the work of integrating with all these backend satellite providers who want to use satellite connectivity as an option. If they are using Cisco equipment, they can basically pull a document and say, this is how you do the connection and it will all work, because we have already validated the whole thing. Do you act as a bridge between these two? We act as a bridge and we do more, we also give you visibility with our tools, because we have integrated our telemetry with Starlink and vice versa into our tools. So now you can get full end-to-end visibility of what's happening in the network. It looks like just another end-point access connectivity. But what about the device ecosystem? Are the current devices capable enough to handle? Yes, that's part of the validation that we're doing. If there are features we need to do, like sometimes timing and sync, there are some of these features associated with the routers that need to be tweaked, adjusted to handle satellite traffic. We've done all of that work. So, all our routers now can support satellite connectivity. So, what are the use cases that you foresee? There is enough density of homes, and satellites are still not as good for highly dense urban areas. You go to Delhi or Mumbai; it's going to be hard to offer satellites in an effective manner. However, if you go to slightly semi-urban areas or rural areas, it becomes expensive to make fiber or microwave or any of these technologies. So, this is where satellites can be very effective including in mountainous regions because every other technology is challenged. First, you can't put towers everywhere, it's too expensive. Secondly, even if you run things like millimeter wave or some of these other technologies, they are subject to a lot of weather interference and the quality drops. Satellite is much more robust that way, so it's become a very viable technology, and that's why we're seeing adoption. The only challenge is often regulations. So, if the regulatory hurdles are cleared, the adoption will happen. But what about cost efficiency? Because this is something which is viewed as a little expensive. Developing markets like India may not be able to see aggressive adoption. So that remains a challenge in some scenarios, but there are certain use cases. Like if it's rural, the cost advantage shifts to satellite, because it is much cheaper to offer satellite instead of going and putting towers everywhere or laying fiber. What are the enterprise areas for use cases? Defence, mining and all of these, like wherever you need connectivity in fairly remote areas including transportation such as cruise lines and aircraft, all of those offer satellite. There's no other good option there. So those are major industries. But now we are seeing even regular enterprises like shops and grocery stores. They will give you a satellite-based link as a backup. Because oftentimes the satellite model is also a little different. It comes with battery backup. So, if you lose power, for example, you have satellite-based connectivity that keeps going for a few hours. Are you open to working or doing some sort of pilot programs with non-terrestrial network (NTN) providers? Absolutely. It's very complimentary for us because we don't build satellite technology, they don't build terrestrial networks. For us to work together with them is very complimentary. Are there any new discussions going on with service providers? Specific to the India market, we are working with all of them, offering broadband solutions. First, Jio especially has very ambitious plans about growing their broadband subscriber footprint. We are working on the solutions with them for that. Is it a part of any fresh deal, or the work is in progress? The work is in progress already. They are setting up AI infrastructure, Jio Brain and they basically want to be the hyper scaler in India where they want to create large data centers, where they will host AI training, inferencing and cloud-based AI applications. We'll provide data centers, and the connectivity for them. Any other government projects that you are working on with any of the states in India? Tanfinet (Tamil Nadu), Mahanet (Maharashtra), and then there are a few other local initiatives, so we are all part of that, and we continue to be. They are a part of BharatNet . So, we continue to be part of that. There are defence deals that we are involved in also. We have a sizable public sector, and defence engagement. What is the revenue breakup between the public and private sectors? Private sector revenue is higher in India. We have been successful with Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, all three networks. I would say the majority is in the private sector.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Telcos actively spending in AI, infrastructure upgrades: Kyndryl's Paul Savill
NEW DELHI: New York-based Kyndryl that provides IT infrastructure services said that the telecom sector is evolving rapidly to embrace the 6G-led future, and together with artificial intelligence (AI), telecom carriers can automate necessary IT operations to cut time to market and enhance service reliability for subscribers. In an interaction with ETTelecom's Muntazir Abbas, Kyndryl Global Practice Leader— Network & Edge Paul Savill talks on telco modernisation, edge AI, cloud portfolio, and cybersecurity. Edited excerpts. What are the top 2-3 sectors that you are currently focusing on? Kyndryl is a leading provider of mission-critical enterprise technology services offering advisory, implementation and managed service capabilities to thousands of customers in more than 60 countries. We run and transform the IT operations for companies across different sectors, including banking, telecom, manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, and energy. How do you think AI can help telecom carriers as they look to reduce time to market? With 5G coverage reaching 95% of subscribers in India, do you think it's high time for telcos to automate and modernise infrastructure? The telecom industry is rapidly evolving toward a future shaped by 6G, digital twins, cloud computing, and other emerging technologies. However, traditional network infrastructures and management tools aren't built to support these advanced services, and the resulting IT complexity is only set to increase. Many telecom providers still rely on legacy systems and decades-old processes to run their IT operations. This makes it challenging to introduce modern AI solutions without risking disruption to current services. Carriers that fail to modernize will struggle to meet rising customer expectations for reliable, high-performance connectivity. By combining AI, machine learning and big data, telcos can automate essential IT operations like event correlation, anomaly detection, and root cause analysis. This not only reduces time to market but also enhances service reliability and operational efficiency. Additionally, some of the leading telecom equipment manufacturers are making significant progress in developing agentic AI capabilities to proactively manage networks. While challenges remain, we view this as the next major evolution in network management automation. Telecom carriers are looking at leveraging AI primarily to enhance customer experience, prevent customer churn, and bring new revenue streams. Your views based on your learnings and trends? In a recent Kyndryl and Altman Solon study on generative AI in the telecommunications sector, customer service implementations of generative AI had the highest success rate, with about 80% of telecommunications companies scaling these use cases to production and ~45% achieving ROI targets. Other areas of significant success were IT and development, network, and business support services like finance, procurement and supply chain functions. How do you think AI can improve edge computing, and what are its benefits to end customers? Edge computing plays a critical role in AI deployments, especially in mission-critical environments where data needs to be processed quickly and efficiently. AI inference at the edge involves processing data closer to the source, significantly reducing latency compared to cloud-based inference. This is crucial for applications requiring real-time insights, such as gaming, healthcare diagnostics, and fraud detection. Edge AI also reduces the need to transmit large volumes of data to centralized cloud servers, leading to cost savings on network usage for data transport, ensures optimal network performance, and is helpful in environments with limited connectivity. Beyond performance benefits, data governance mandates – driven by regulatory requirements and the need to mitigate security risks, are also accelerating edge AI adoption. What are your AI cloud offerings? Kyndryl recently launched a suite of AI private cloud services to speed up enterprise adoption of AI solutions by providing a secure and customizable platform for companies to develop, test, and deploy AI applications such as generative AI and large language models. The platform can be used for services across the healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and telecom, media and technology verticals. Do you think telecom operators are spending much on infrastructure upgrades and AI? Telcos are actively investing in AI and infrastructure upgrades. According to Kyndryl's People Readiness Report, which surveyed over 1,000 business and technology leaders across eight markets, 97% of telecom organizations are already using AI across multiple areas of their operations. In fact, investment in generative AI is growing so rapidly that many are overshooting their budgets. In another study done by Kyndryl and Altman Solon on generative AI in the telecommunications sector, we found that roughly 80% of executives reported exceeding their budgets when scaling AI projects, with a third exceeding budgets by as much as 50%. Some telcos are responding by refining their cost management and AI governance practices to improve outcomes. Companies are also increasingly exploring multi-LLM strategies and diverse model deployment approaches to better manage expenses and optimize performance. While the technology is still in its early stages, there is broad consensus among experts that its potential will grow significantly as implementation strategies mature. Who are your top telco customers globally? Kyndryl's global telco customers include Bharti Airtel , Vodafone , Telefonica, MasOrange, and British Telecom. Kyndryl also partners with Nokia to provide private 5G, edge computing and data center networking services and solutions to global enterprises. What is your cybersecurity portfolio? Since AI is becoming mainstream, do you think enterprises are still reluctant to adopt foolproof security? Kyndryl helps businesses become more cyber resilient by enabling them to anticipate, protect against, withstand and recover rapidly against evolving enterprise risks through an end-to-end cyber resilience framework. This integrated approach helps protect brand reputation, builds trust and supports operational resilience and regulatory compliance by aligning security, continuity and recovery efforts. The Kyndryl Readiness Report found that while 88% of business leaders see cybersecurity as a board-level priority, just 35% believe their organization is fully prepared to defend against cyber threats. The AI era introduces a new wave of security challenges – threats such as adversarial attacks, malicious inputs that mislead models, model poisoning and the corruption of training data all highlight the need for stronger model validation and data integrity.
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Strong domestic innovation boosting India's 6G ambition: Neeraj Mittal
The Centre is working on multiple initiatives to accelerate homegrown innovation in a bid to facilitate India's contribution to next generation (6G) technology. In an interaction with ETTelecom's Muntazir Abbas, Neeraj Mittal, Secretary, Department of Telecommunications (DoT), and Chairman, Digital Communications Commission (DCC) talks on sectoral health, Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) levy, technology development fund, 6G preparedness, satellite communications (satcom), terahertz spectrum band, and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) 4G network. Edited excerpts. Is there any new relief package in the works for the telecom sector? There is no proposal at present. Industry has been demanding a cut in Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) levy for a long time. Is DoT considering any reduction? There is no proposal of reduction. Do you think a 3+1 telco market is healthy enough for a country like India? India has large numbers of telecom licensees having authorisation to offer various telecom services. Market dynamics determine equilibrium. How has been the progress of Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) so far? How much disbursement has been made till date? A total of 120 proposals covering areas such as 5G development under the 'India 5G Stack', 6G and beyond technology development, Internet of Things (IoT) and machine-to-machine (M2M) development, and other telecom technologies are being funded under the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) scheme, amounting to ₹500 crore. These also include 100 proposals aimed at advancing the development of 6G technologies and ensuring robust, efficient, and sustainable connectivity solutions. As of now about ₹180 crores have been disbursed. India's 6G preparedness seems to be slow-paced as against the ambition of at least 10% of the global patents by 2030. What steps are you taking to fast-forward the progress? India is gearing up for 6G by 2030 with a strong push for domestic innovation, guided by the Bharat 6G Vision . Building on its 5G research foundation, the country has launched over 100 research and development (R&D) projects and set up indigenous test beds and labs. Key events like the TTDF Symposium 2025 and the upcoming 3GPP RAN meeting in Bengaluru underscore India's growing role in shaping global telecom standards. Do you think terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks will be complementary to each other? Terrestrial networks offer dense, high-speed coverage, while non-terrestrial networks like satellites extend reach to remote and underserved areas. Together, they enable seamless, global connectivity across land, air, and sea. Share an update on terahertz band (95 GHz-3THz) and terahertz experimental authorisation (THEA), as proposed by Trai, to promote R&D and trials? TRAI recommendations on Terahertz band and Terahertz Experimental Authorisation, are under the Department of Telecommunications' consideration. What are the top 2-3 focus areas for BSNL in the current fiscal? What steps are you taking to sustain profitability? The focus areas of BSNL include rollout of indigenous 4G network, improving quality of service, improving customer service, and eventually make the company profitable. Share an update on Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) assets monetisation exercise? Total earnings generated through asset monetization of BSNL and MTNL, is ₹12,984 crores since the approval of 2019 revival plan, from sale and rental. By when will the BharatNet 3 program be completed? The amended BharatNet project is for ten years.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Cost-effective tariff, free 5G, service quality to drive BSNL 4G customers: Pemmasani
Once BSNL's 4G current deployment is stabilised, the Cabinet approval for the fresh 1 lakh sites will be sought, and the state-run telco is mulling offering free 5G wireless access, and cost-effective tariffs to woo subscribers. In an exclusive interaction with ETTelecom's Muntazir Abbas, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, Minister of State for Communications, talks on BSNL 4G network, BharatNet 3 program, Vodafone Idea's health, India's 6G readiness, and telecom carriers' anti-spam initiatives. Edited excerpts. You recently talked about BSNL, which is expected to add an additional 1 lakh 4G sites. By when is this likely to happen including the Cabinet nod? Firstly, we must perfect 1 lakh sites for which the order has been given. Once we get confidence that the technology is working the way we wanted, and competing with the global standards, and the subscriber base is increasing, then we will ask the Cabinet through our prime minister. That is our internal ministerial plan, but obviously, still a few more months to go for that. Will this be an open bid, or continued with homegrown partner Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)? This has not even been finalised, and it has not been approved by the Cabinet. Once approved, it will follow the standard bidding process. What expectations do you have from the BSNL once 4G is commercially available nationally? I think there are certain things that are highly favourable to BSNL. People have a lot of trust when it comes to security, and it being the lifeline or backbone during the disaster preparedness and at border areas and rural villages, it has earned that kind of trust and loyalty among the people. Once BSNL provides competitive 4G services, people will flock into it. In addition, the price can be competitive, and these days, people use a couple of SIMs. In my view, the concept of 'indigenous' appeared to be favourable. We can provide quality customer service and quality service, bundling different services with broadband. We are also thinking about coming up with free 5G wireless access. Some innovative approaches are being brought into the BSNL. So, with all of these, I am hoping these will increase BSNL's customer base. Share an update on the BharatNet 3 project. By when is it likely to be completed? This is such a huge project. We have done it in an extensively transparent process. Whoever has been allotted, would start working right away. We want to finish it within the next 2 years as much as possible. Is the ministry working on some sort of relief package for the telecom industry? The current health of the telecom sector is quite good. We are not even discussing anything at this point of time. The only issue is Vodafone Idea which we have already done quite a bit. ₹36,000 crores converting debt into equity itself is a large thing that we have done. But no more equity conversion. I mean we do not have any plan to convert dues into additional equity currently Don't you think it's high time for the government, being a majority stakeholder in Vodafone Idea, to take steps to get it out of the woods? Exactly. That is the reason we have converted debt into equity. The government cannot solve all the problems they have or are experiencing. So, this is not something we can do in a day. This requires the Prime Minister-headed Cabinet's nod. Multiple people must have to be involved. They (VIL) keep on approaching us, and it will continuously be examined. Did Vodafone Idea approach again for some relief? Every time, they will be putting a proposal. They come up with alternatives, too. We never shut the doors for anybody. There are always Cabinet ministers available. What will be your piece of advice to Vodafone Idea? They are in the public markets. They have to manage their own business. They are smart people and run multiple businesses. They know how to operate. For the last several years, Industry bodies have been demanding a cut in the Universal Service Obligation Fund or Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) levy making it effectively zero? There is no immediate need. The telecom sector is quite profitable. Telcos are expanding into 5G. We do not have any additional plans to give any incentives at this point of time. The 4G Saturation program is relatively slow in terms of implementation? No, it is not. One must understand, these are the places that even private players felt impossible to deploy towers. We are talking about forest areas, hilly areas where you do not have road access. These are the leftover places. So, execution itself is very difficult. We deployed close to 14,000 towers out of the 27,000. So, 50% has been completed already, and another 50% of the work is being fast-tracked as well. You have funded some institutions as part of the next generation (6G) technology innovation strategy. How is it contributing to technology development? We have given funding to around 111 institutions. They did file quite a few patents. We are continuously reviewing those projects. But we are confident we will be able to get at least 5 to 10% of the 6G patents by India. Once you have these patents, they will be inserted into the standards. The department has formed multiple forums for 6G development like you had in 5G? TCS is working on 6G actively. Our goal is to give as much funding as possible to all the people who are interested, especially the startups. The innovation is coming from IITs as they have a more structured process. How are you facilitating Make in India or Atmanirbharta (self-reliance) in the telecom sector? Earlier, or until 10-11 years back, the situation was different. So, because of the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, and the government's efforts, especially from the Prime Minister, we were able to bring in large manufacturers. We have got the ecosystem in the beginning, and now we have become the second largest phone exporter. Now, the goal is how to create indigenous components. If you look at our entire 4G and 5G, the government is mandating BSNL to develop indigenous technology and deploy. For a country as big as India, doing multiple things all in 10 years, I think what we have achieved is a remarkable success. Now you look at all the semiconductors and fab sectors, we have started to manufacture locally. Is the government considering any sort of direction to private telecom service providers to use indigenous technology, going forward? In general, mandating private enterprises is probably not the best thing. What we can do is incentivise them and empower them. So, if indigenous 4G works well and 5G is updated, obviously not only people in India, but other countries will also start buying. How are you ensuring the industry reduces spam and spoofing calls and messages? We are ensuring the security aspects of the telecom are being monitored, for the prevention of spam and fraud calls, and to eventually prevent financial frauds. We have taken that also very seriously and are reviewing it as a part of the security aspect. What is the frequency of reviewing anti-spam initiatives of telecom operators? I review monthly with our digital intelligence people. We are integrating Sancharsathi and developing it into multiple languages. Through Sancharsathi, we disconnected more than 4 crore illegal connections. We have also made a lot of changes and strict guidelines for the point-of-sale agents. So, like that, if you look at it, Airtel, you know, one year back, you were not getting spam call warnings. So, are you satisfied with the progress so far? Yes, I am quite satisfied with the progress.
