Parag Naik quits Tejas Networks ahead of D2M broadcasting rollout

Parag Naik, Executive Vice President at Tejas Networks and former co-founder and CEO of Saankhya Labs, has stepped down from his role at the Tata Group-backed telecom equipment maker, according to people familiar with the matter. Naik’s exit comes at a crucial juncture, as India’s ambitious Direct-to-Mobile (D2M) broadcasting initiative prepares to move from pilot projects to a nationwide rollout over the next year.

Naik had joined Tejas Networks following its acquisition of Bengaluru-based Saankhya Labs in 2022, a deal widely seen as a strategic consolidation of India’s telecom and semiconductor capabilities. Saankhya Labs, under Naik’s leadership, played a central role in India’s early D2M trials, becoming the first domestic company to enter the emerging Direct-to-mobile broadcast segment through a pilot project with public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur and Saankhya Labs across 19 cities.

People close to the development said Naik’s departure coincides with the government’s plan to scale up D2M broadcasting, with the rollout phase expected to begin by mid-2026 and commercial launches likely towards the end of next year. D2M technology enables the transmission of high-quality video, audio and data content directly to mobile phones without the use of cellular data or internet connectivity, potentially easing network congestion for telecom operators while opening new monetisation opportunities for broadcasters.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) had appointed consulting firm Ernst & Young (EY) as the project management consultant for the D2M initiative. EY has been tasked with designing the national roadmap, including spectrum planning and the development of a sustainable revenue and business model. The programme, led by Prasar Bharati, aims to allow multimedia content—ranging from live television and news to emergency alerts—to be broadcast directly to mobile devices, functioning on principles similar to FM radio but tailored for the digital era.

Naik brings more than three decades of experience spanning telecom, consumer electronics, semiconductors, and software systems. He began his career in 1992 with PCS and was among the engineers involved in the design of mission-critical systems for India’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas programme, contributing to both hardware and software for mission computers. He later worked with Philips Research in Europe and held roles at technology start-ups in Silicon Valley, gaining exposure to advanced digital systems and global R&D ecosystems.

Over the last two decades, Naik has been closely associated with the creation and scaling of deep-tech start-ups in Bengaluru. His most significant entrepreneurial milestone came in 2007, when he co-founded Saankhya Labs as India’s first private fabless semiconductor company. The firm focused on software-defined radio (SDR), wireless communication, broadcast and satellite technologies—areas traditionally dominated by multinational players.

Initially serving as chief technology officer and later as chief executive officer, Naik led Saankhya Labs through multiple generations of indigenously designed chipsets and system platforms. Under his leadership, the company developed silicon and system solutions for digital broadcasting, defence communications and satellite applications, helping position India as a credible designer of advanced communication chips rather than merely a consumer of imported technology.

Naik is a named inventor on more than 50 international patents across VLSI architecture, SDR platforms, signal processing and wireless communication systems. His work has been recognised through several national awards in telecom and electronics.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from Karnatak University, graduating in the early 1990s when India’s electronics and telecom ecosystem was still at an early stage. His formative years in defence, aerospace and industrial research shaped an engineering philosophy centred on robustness, scalability and long-term relevance—an approach that continued through his entrepreneurial and corporate roles.

Tejas Networks has not yet made an official announcement regarding Naik’s departure or potential succession plans. Industry observers say his exit marks a notable leadership change at a time when indigenous telecom equipment and next-generation broadcast technologies are gaining strategic importance in India’s digital infrastructure push.