Today’s telecom news includes announcements on Nokia, Indus Towers, VTel Wireless, Ericsson, Huawei, among others.
Nokia Flags Rising Telecom Equipment Costs, AI to Transform India Network Traffic
Finnish telecom giant Nokia has warned that telecom equipment costs are rising due to ongoing supply chain issues, including shortages of critical components like memory chips and semiconductors. These cost pressures could impact the deployment and expansion of 4G and 5G networks across India. Nokia also highlighted that artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly reshaping network traffic patterns, with uplink demand growing sharply as more users generate and share content. This trend is prompting telecom operators to recalibrate their networks sooner than initially planned to handle changing traffic flows efficiently. Additionally, Nokia is implementing organisational changes in India to improve agility and execution, aiming to better support operators amid these evolving challenges.
Indus Towers Names Venkatesh Tiwari as New COO
Indus Towers has appointed Venkatesh Tiwari as its Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective April 1, 2026, succeeding Tejinder Singh Kalra. Tiwari brings nearly 30 years of experience across e‑commerce, telecommunications, and logistics, having held senior leadership roles at Amazon, Samsung, and Airtel. He is expected to oversee the company’s operations and drive efficiency as Indus Towers continues to expand its telecom infrastructure across India. Kalra, who will retire on August 31, 2026, will remain in his role until June 30, 2026, facilitating a phased handover. The appointment reflects Indus Towers’ focus on strengthening its leadership and operational capabilities in a rapidly evolving telecom sector.
Rural America Goes 5G: VTel Wireless & Ericsson Unveil First Nationwide 5G VoNR Roaming
VTel Wireless has partnered with Ericsson to deploy a full 5G Standalone (SA) network with Voice over New Radio (VoNR) roaming across rural America, marking a major boost in connectivity for remote regions. This makes VTel the first rural U.S. carrier to support native 5G SA VoNR roaming with major nationwide service providers, allowing subscribers to maintain high‑quality 5G voice and data while roaming in areas previously dependent on older 4G systems. The rollout leverages Ericsson’s cloud‑native 5G Core and advanced RAN technologies across Vermont, providing enhanced network performance and coverage to underserved communities.
Huawei Scores Partial Win in Delhi HC Tax Battle
The Delhi High Court has granted partial relief to the Indian unit of Chinese tech giant Huawei in ongoing income tax proceedings. The court set aside the tax department’s notice for reassessment of Huawei’s revenue for the financial year 2013–14 and quashed related special audit directions for that period. However, it upheld the reassessment and special audit orders for the year 2015–16, citing sufficient grounds to believe income had escaped assessment. The case stems from a 2022 tax search and seizure operation, following which authorities sought to reopen assessments for both years. Huawei had challenged the notices citing jurisdictional and limitation issues, but the court partially ruled in favour of the tax department for 2015–16, while granting relief for 2013–2014.
SHAFANA FAZAL
