Radhey Shyam Sarda, wireless CTO, Huawei India, is responsible for driving the wire­less business by positioning innovative and best-in-class solutions. His responsibilities include guiding operators in spectrum and network evolution to maximise the va­lue of their networks and build future-ready networks for the smooth introduction of 5G.

With the exponential inc­­rease in data consumption, one of the key challenges has been the introduction of higher efficiency technologies while en­su­ring the continuity of legacy ones with the limited spect­rum. “The traditional app­roa­ch to spectrum refarming could not have made this possible. We introduced the innovative Cloud­AIR solution, which enabled the dynamic sharing of spectrum across multiple radio access technologies, thus beating the long tail associated with legacy technology. This enabled the introduction of LTE in the 900 MHz band and enhanced the LTE bandwidth in the 1800 MHz band. To address the ex­­ponential increase in data traffic, especially in hotspot locations, we introduced the massive MIMO solution,” he says.

Sarda expects the market to bounce back once the consolidation phase is over and the right price points are achieved. “The ongoing consolidation and surge in data traffic are us­h­ering in a new phase for telecom, where there are fewer and stronger players, and evol­­ved and plentiful digital-savvy consumers. We, as a country, are embracing SMAC and IoT at a very fast pace. Telecom be­ing the backbone of this digital revolution, there will be a host of new opportunities as the industry evolves from 4G to 4.5G and 5G,” he says.

Sarda has over two decades of experience in the telecom sector. Before joining Huawei in 2009, he worked with firms like WEBFIL, Bh­ar­ti Telenet, Comverse Tec­h­n­o­­logy, Telnet Inc. and Moto­rola India. Amo­ng the projects that are closest to his heart are an assignment in 2002 with Sprint PCS, wh­ere he developed the core al­g­orithm for a few of optimisation tools, and another more recent one at Huawei in which he engaged with operator CXOs to share insights on sp­e­ctrum and network evolution.

Sarda is a flexible and pragmatic leader and believes in leading by example.

A graduate in electronics and telecommunications from REC, Silchar, he has also done an executive programme in business management from IIM Calcutta. He likes to spend his spare time with his family – his father, his wife Kavita and their two daughters Ridhima and Rishima – and with friends.