Q1. Could you start by giving us a brief overview of your professional background, particularly focusing on your expertise in the industry?

With more than 24 years spent in telecom infrastructure, my career has been shaped by hands-on experience in PMO governance, delivering large-scale projects, and ensuring regulatory compliance. Along the way, I earned PMP and CIPM certifications and have taken on senior positions at some of India’s top telecom tower and infrastructure companies. My professional journey has seen me actively participate in the country’s tower-sharing transformation—from launching new sites, through phases of industry consolidation and mergers, to today’s push for denser networks to enable 4G and 5G.

My main strength is building and leading PMO frameworks that turn ambitious rollout goals into practical, trackable results. This work has taken me across the full spectrum—from acquiring sites and coordinating with a wide range of stakeholders (like landlords, Resident Welfare Associations, municipal bodies, the Department of Telecommunications, TERM Cells, and, when needed, the Airports Authority of India) to navigating complex regulatory environments including EMF compliance and securing No-Objection Certificates. I’ve overseen portfolios with thousands of sites across many regions, always aiming to strike the right balance between deploying quickly and managing regulatory and community risks responsibly.

In recent years, I’ve started bringing this same approach to the growing field of EV charging infrastructure. There are quite a few similarities—scattered site acquisition, changing regulations, and a mix of stakeholders (DISCOMs, OEMs, charge point operators, real estate owners)—that remind me of the early days of telecom towers, where success depended on reliable, large-scale execution. I’ve spent time learning about the unique technical and business challenges in this space as well, such as grid capacity limits, Battery Energy Storage Systems, and the best ways to work with DISCOMs.

If I had to sum up my career, it’s about building the strong governance foundations that let capital-heavy, infrastructure-driven businesses grow steadily in India’s ever-evolving regulatory and stakeholder landscape. Over the years, I’ve learned that true success here isn’t just about spending capital; it’s about patience, rigorous documentation, and genuinely building relationships with regulators and communities.

Q2. Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest infrastructure value-creation opportunities in India, and what factors will determine which projects and operators generate attractive returns?

Based on my experience, I believe that the biggest opportunities for value creation in the near term are still in telecom infrastructure—especially when it comes to fiberization and the densification needed for 5G. As people use more data and 5G becomes more widespread, what matters most isn’t just how many towers there are, but the quality of the network itself: having fiber backhaul in place, rolling out small cells and in-building solutions, and being able to add density in busy urban areas efficiently. The operators who can manage this next wave of network building with the same discipline that made the original tower rollout a success will see outsized rewards.

Data centres are another area that’s closely tied to telecom, and I see them as one of the most promising adjacent opportunities for the coming years. With data usage skyrocketing, more businesses moving to the cloud, and the growing need for AI computing, demand for data centre capacity is rising fast. The factors that determine success here are very similar to telecom: reliable power, strong fiber connectivity, access to large land parcels, and the right regulatory approvals. Companies that apply the same kind of execution rigor from telecom—especially around sourcing power and ensuring uptime—will be in a great position to benefit from this trend.

There’s also growing potential in energy transition infrastructure—things like integrating renewables, building storage, and expanding EV charging networks. While it’s still smaller in scale compared to telecom and data centres, it’s following a similar path: high upfront investment, lots of small players at first, and eventually, consolidation among those who really nail execution and understand the regulatory landscape.

No matter the sector, what really separates projects that deliver strong returns from those that stall isn’t a lack of funding—there’s plenty of capital for good infrastructure ideas. The real differentiator is execution discipline: how quickly and reliably you can get regulatory approvals, how smartly you pick sites based on actual demand (not just available land), and how well you build relationships with everyone involved—from regulators and DISCOMs to local governments and communities.

Operators who put robust PMO governance in place—with clear milestones, escalation processes, and documentation that can handle regulatory or lender scrutiny—consistently outperform those who just make it up as they go. In India, infrastructure projects typically don’t fall apart because the idea is bad; they run into trouble due to delays in approvals, costly rework, or issues with stakeholders that could have been anticipated.

Looking at the map, I think the next five years will see Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities offering the best opportunities for value creation in telecom, data centres, and energy infrastructure—as bigger cities mature and site costs climb. Visakhapatnam is a great example: it’s become a real growth hotspot, drawing major telecom, IT, and data centre investments thanks to its port connectivity, submarine cable landings, proactive state policies, and better digital infrastructure. This shows that with the right mix of connectivity, policy support, and readiness, these smaller cities can become strong alternatives to crowded Tier 1 markets—a trend I expect to see in more emerging hubs soon.

Q3. How is the economics of EV charging infrastructure evolving as networks expand, and what is becoming most important for achieving attractive utilization and returns?

From what I’ve seen in telecom tower economics, there’s a clear parallel with how EV charging is evolving in India. The focus is shifting away from just grabbing sites and building out as many charging points as possible. Instead, there’s a much healthier emphasis now on making sure each charger is actually being used. In the early days, operators raced to roll out sites to create a big network presence, but now, the spotlight is on the economics of each charger. After all, an idle charging point—just like an underused telecom tower—hurts returns no matter how big the network seems on paper.

Three things are really starting to matter when it comes to getting good utilization and returns. First, having anchor demand: if a charging site is connected to steady users—like fleet operators, logistics hubs, ride-hailing services, or busy commercial spaces—it’s much easier to predict and maintain high usage, just like how anchor tenants helped early telecom tower rollouts succeed. Second, the economics of power: as these networks grow, the cost and reliability of the electricity connection become make-or-break factors. That’s where working closely with DISCOMs, managing demand charges, and increasingly using Battery Energy Storage Systems and smart load management all come into play—they help control costs and avoid pricey grid upgrades that can eat into profits.

Third, it’s becoming more important to diversify revenue. Right now, selling energy by itself often isn’t enough to make the numbers work, so operators are adding other income streams—like partnering with retailers at charging hubs, running ads, and offering extra services. As regulations change, there’s also potential in new grid services and demand-response markets.

Looking ahead, I think the operators who will really succeed are those who treat site selection and power planning with true infrastructure-level discipline, not just as a hardware rollout. That’s a lesson the telecom industry had to learn some time ago, and it’s just as relevant here.

Q4. What are the most common causes of delays in large infrastructure deployments today, and which risks are increasing?

From my experience in telecom infrastructure, I’ve found that the main reasons for project delays have stayed surprisingly consistent over time. Land and right-of-way challenges, the sheer number of approvals needed (municipal permissions, Resident Welfare Association sign-offs, Airports Authority of India NOCs for sites near airports, TERM Cell and Department of Telecommunications compliance, and power approvals from DISCOMs), and the tough job of managing multiple contractors and vendors spread across different locations all play a big role.

Another big, and often overlooked, source of delay is getting everyone on board at the local level—things like objections from RWAs, community worries about EMF compliance, and the time it takes to build real trust with local authorities instead of just ticking off paperwork. Projects that treat this as a box to check rather than a genuine relationship-building effort usually end up with more rework and longer delays. I’m also starting to see the same kinds of issues crop up in the EV charging sector, especially around safety concerns with battery storage.

There are also some risks that are becoming more pressing. Grid capacity is under more strain than ever, with telecom, EV charging, and data centres all vying for limited DISCOM attention and substation space—a bottleneck that barely registered just a few years back. Regulations are also getting tighter, especially on safety and environmental fronts, which means more scrutiny and longer timelines even though it’s good for sector credibility in the long run. Supply chain risks are rising too, particularly for network gear, batteries, and power electronics, thanks to global supply concentration and geopolitics. And finally, there’s a real shortage of skilled people in project management and technical roles, since so many infrastructure sectors are growing at once and pulling from the same talent pool.

Operators who plan for these specific risks—by building in contingencies and setting up strong PMO governance, not just relying on generic project management—will do a much better job of keeping their projects on track.

Q5. Based on what you are seeing on the ground, what key takeaway would you share with investors about the current infrastructure investment and deployment environment in India?

After more than two decades working in telecom infrastructure, my main takeaway is this: India’s infrastructure growth story is still on solid ground, but the real risk for investors lies in the gap between what’s announced and what actually gets built and used. Closing that gap isn’t about throwing more money at the problem—it’s about execution discipline.

I’ve seen this pattern over and over in telecom tower and network rollouts, and now I’m seeing the same thing start to happen in areas like EV charging. Big-picture trends attract capital quickly, but the real difference in returns comes down to governance: things like careful site selection, staying ahead of regulatory needs, tracking milestones transparently, and actually engaging with stakeholders. Operators who focus on these things outperform those who just add sites and make announcements without building real execution strength.

For investors, this means your due diligence should weigh an operator’s track record on execution and governance just as much as their pipeline or market size. It’s worth asking: Does the operator engage with regulators proactively? What’s their real approval-to-commissioning timeline compared to what they planned? Are they disciplined about investing in sites that will actually get used, instead of just building for the sake of numbers?

Overall, India’s environment for infrastructure is genuinely positive—policy support is strong and getting better, and there’s no shortage of demand. But this is a market that favors patient investors working with disciplined operators, not those who just move money quickly. If you team up with operators who treat governance and regulatory navigation as core strengths, rather than just back-office chores, you’ll be much more likely to see your investments turn into long-lasting, attractive returns over the next decade.