About Doron Arazi
Doron Arazi, then Deputy CEO of Ceragon Networks, appeared at India Mobile Congress 2019 alongside Shai Yaniv, the company's EVP of Marketing. In the interview, Arazi discussed global trends in data consumption and their relevance to India, noting that service providers need technological solutions to address exponentially growing demand. He stated that microwave and millimeter wave solutions "could be a good replacement for fiber in countries that do not have the fibre spread as you see in the Western countries." Arazi attributed the rapid implementation of 4G in India to the use of microwave technology as a substitute for fiber in the short and medium term.
Arazi also commented on the potential for 5G deployment in India, saying that if operators decide to pursue 5G strongly, "they have different technologies; one of them is microwave and millimeter-wave technology that can cover for the interim scarcity of fiber solutions." He expressed a positive outlook on the Indian market, referencing government statements about potential 5G options in the upcoming fiscal year, and said Ceragon looked forward to continuing its work with operators in the country.
Source: AI-verified profile updated from Doron Arazi's recent appearances.
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Transcript (11 segments)
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Interviewer0:27
We have with us two senior people from Ceragon: Mr. Doron Arazi, the Deputy CEO, and Mr. Tsai Yanni, Executive Vice President of Marketing. Good morning, sir. What do you talk about? Would you talk about global trends and their relevance to India?
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Doron Arazi0:48
Yeah, I think India is seeing or facing the same trends we have seen around the world. As a global company working with many operators around the world, data consumption is going up exponentially, and service providers need to find solutions from a technology standpoint to cover for that. So obviously there's a lot of appetite for the consumers, and the technology to support that appetite is actually evolving very fast. This is why, in a situation where 4G is not 100% implemented, everybody is now talking about 5G, which is the next generation. That's a phenomenon that is quite similar in other places: the U.S., North America, Europe, and so forth.
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Interviewer2:06
On the strategy part, if you see, we are always sort of lacking on the bandwidth part because fiber is... the penetration of tower is around 30% in the country. Keeping that into view, how do you see companies like you solving the biggest problem of bandwidth to end consumers as well as enterprise users in a big way?
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Doron Arazi2:38
I think it's already evident that microwave and millimeter wave solutions could be a good replacement for fiber in countries that do not have the fiber spread as you see in the Western countries. It's very evident. Our solution is actually being used by all of the big operators here in India to cover for that. The evolution of microwave and millimeter wave solutions, in terms of being able to carry much higher bandwidth than they were able to carry in the past, is critical and creates a very good, almost equal substitute for fiber. We do believe that fiber will become more spread and more intensive over time in India, but the success of implementing 4G in this country so fast is due to the fact that microwave could be a great replacement, at least in the short and medium term, for fiber. So if you ask me, yes, fiber will continue to be deployed. The challenge of quality of service and 5G is always there, will always be a challenge, especially when you have some scarcity in terms of fiber deployment. But there are other technologies that can cover for that. If the operators decide to go very strong on implementing 5G, they have different technologies. One of them is the microwave and millimeter wave technology that can cover for the interim scarcity of the fiber solutions.
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Interviewer4:57
Sir, have you signed any new deal at India Mobile Congress for your company for the expansion of 4G?
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Doron Arazi5:20
No. You look at 5G, everybody talks about it. Every single operator in the country... all the things that we do will be operating. How do we bring economical metrics into place?
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Interviewer6:03
How does your solution fit into the scheme of things of IoT and small cells?
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Doron Arazi6:16
It's a combination of microwave and fiber. We focus on the wireless part again, bringing with IoT or security applications. Along with fixed wireless, this all comes into place. Wireless is actually leading to the 5G and 4G. It's how to overcome challenges, and we have great solutions along with excellent service in India.
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Interviewer7:15
So 5G networks... on a daily basis, in another two and a half months, 2020 will come back. How do you look at the India market from a 2020 perspective?
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Doron Arazi7:30
I think the India market has great potential, especially as the communication minister said the other day: this fiscal year there will be auctions for 5G. So we look forward to continue to work with the operators here.
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Interviewer7:49
Thank you, Mr. Doron Arazi, talking to DG Analysis.
