Deepak Saxena
Senior Vice-President, Wireline Services, CloudExtel
With a career spanning close to 30 years, Deepak Saxena has emerged as a thought leader in the telecom industry. An Indian Telecom Services officer, he started his career with the Department of Telecommunications in 1993. Subsequently, he transitioned to the private sector, assuming instrumental roles in network services. Notably, he served as vice-president at Reliance Infocomm and Idea Cellular Limited. Following the merger of Vodafone and Idea, he led the fibre vertical at Vodafone Idea Limited, continuing in his role as vice-president. At present, he is senior vice-president on the leadership team at CloudExtel, overseeing wireline operations.
He believes that the Indian telecom space is set to boom once again due to capex infusion by telcos. It is an established fact, he says, that India requires more than three telecom players to cater to its large user base, boost the quality of mobile services and its fixed wireline network.
However, the current challenge lies in the extensive deployment of network infrastructure within a limited time frame in a cost-efficient manner. This problem is further compounded by the involvement of multiple government agencies, whose permissions are necessary for the construction of adequate telecom infrastructure.
“Shared telecom infrastructure is the optimal solution to address the above challenges. By adopting a shared infrastructure approach, the issues related to speed, capex and time constraints can be effectively resolved,” he observes. Moreover, shared infrastructure not only supports various authorities in reducing visual clutter in cities but further streamlines the number of approvals required by telecom companies for infrastructure development.
Deepak believes that in the current scenario, the country is fortunate to have a remarkable pool of talented young individuals who are not only eager to enter the telecom industry but are already actively contributing to this demanding sector. “Empowering them to make the right decisions and grooming them will propel the industry forward and take it to new heights with their innovative and creative approach,” he says.
Deepak has a BE degree in electronics and telecommunications and an MBA in marketing. A strong believer in the philosophy of lifelong learning, he has further pursued management courses from institutions such as IIM, KKL and Stanford University in the US.
Deepak loves sports and plays badminton and cricket regularly. He is married and has two children, a son and a daughter.
