Vikram Anand to lead Infinera's India growth

Vikram Anand has been appointed by the US-based telecom equipment manufacturer Infinera to lead the Indian operations along with the entire subcontinent region to foster growth in response to the rapid expansion of data usage within the country.

Anand previously held the position of senior director of sales at Ciena, a US-based telecom vendor. He will oversee Infinera's expansion efforts in sectors such as hyper scalers, data centers, and the modernization of 5G transport networks in India. Anand, with his experience at VMware, Ericsson, and Cisco, is tasked with expanding Infinera's Indian customer base by attracting well-known companies.

Bengaluru currently houses a significant portion of Infinera's global R&D talent, boasting over 1,000 employees, which represents roughly 30 percent of the company's entire R&D workforce worldwide. India is considered to be Infinera's most important market in India, contributing over 10 percent to its global income. It recently gained momentum in India after winning contracts in the submarine cable data centres interconnect (DCI) domain.

Infinera's CEO David Heard has hinted at the possibility of setting up telecom equipment manufacturing in India, aiming for potential growth in the Indian market While the company currently produces its equipment in Thailand and its "compound" semiconductors in the US, it might shift course if its Indian business experiences significant expansion in the coming quarters.

Infinera, headquartered in San Jose, California, is a leader in providing telecoms infrastructure solutions. They specialize in cutting-edge wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM)--based packet optical transmission equipment and IP transport technologies. They offer a wide range of products, including high-end subcomponent technology, systems for network infrastructure, automation software, and professional services. Infinera prides itself on being vertically integrated. This means they design, manufacture, and sell their components and systems, allowing for greater control and innovation.