Summary:
The dispute between Bharti Airtel and Tejas Networks has intensified after Airtel reiterated that Tejas’s equipment used in Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL)’s 4G rollout, is “sub-standard” and causing interference in its 900 MHz network in Rajasthan. Tejas strongly refuted the claim, arguing that its radios meet all international and domestic emission norms and that the interference stems from improper site placement and spectrum overlap with BSNL.
Airtel’s complaint, formalized in a letter dated November 14, 2025, has cited persistent network problems since December 2024 despite repeated technical reviews. The operator claims that Tejas equipment’s filter design for BSNL’s 800 MHz band does not conform to India’s 800 MHz downlink range (869–889 MHz), leading to emissions that encroach into Airtel’s 900 MHz uplink, affecting call quality and network reliability.
Meanwhile, Tejas Networks insists its radios were tested and certified by accredited labs to meet 3GPP, TEC, and BSNL tender specifications, including strict out-of-band emission limits, and that the observed interference is a result of proximity between BSNL and Airtel towers rather than equipment faults.
The core issue revolves around whether the root cause is technical non-conformance by an indigenous vendor, or a deployment and spectrum-management problem in a multi-operator environment. The disagreement comes at a time when India is pushing for use of local telecom equipment, raising broader questions about quality standards, compliance, and coexistence in densely populated spectrum bands. Given the serious allegations and rebuttals, resolution will likely require regulatory scrutiny, improved spectrum coordination and possibly hardware refinements to ensure seamless service across operators.
