Sterlite Technologies Limited has appointed Mr. Rahul Puri as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its Optical Networking business. Having previously served as Vice President and General Manager for the EMEIA (Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa) and APAC (Asia Pacific) regions, this promotion highlights the Board of Directors’ confidence in his leadership and vision for driving STL’s strategic growth. With over 24 years of global cross-functional expertise in business development, sales, marketing, operations, and product management, Mr. Puri has played a crucial role in the company’s growth and strategic initiatives. He has been instrumental in expanding STL’s presence in key global markets and significantly increasing business across the telecom and technology sectors. In an exclusive interview with Wire & Cable India, Mr. Rahul Puri shares insights into his leadership role, strategic priorities, and STL’s growing presence in the telecom and technology sectors.
Wire & Cable India: Congratulations on your elevation to CEO of STL’s Optical Networking Business! Can you share your journey within Sterlite Technologies and how it has shaped your leadership approach?
Rahul Puri: My journey with Sterlite Technologies has been incredibly fulfilling and transformative. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of contributing to the company’s growth and strategic initiatives, which has deeply influenced my leadership approach. My focus has always been on expanding STL’s presence in key global markets, significantly increasing our business across the telecom and technology sectors.
Building strong relationships with our customers, and forming strategic partnerships with global service providers and telecom companies, have been central to our success. These connections have not only positioned STL for sustained growth but also allowed us to stay ahead in the evolving industry landscape.
WCI: What are your key priorities and vision as the CEO of the ‘Optical Networking Business’?
RP: My key priorities revolve around driving growth across our key markets, including the US, EMEA, and India. We aim to achieve profitable and sustainable growth by maintaining a strong commitment to operational excellence and fostering deep, impactful connections with our customers. This strategic focus will enable us to leverage opportunities and solidify our position as a leader in the telecom and technology sectors.
WCI: How do you plan to leverage your experience managing EMEA and APAC regions in your new role?
RP: Our success story in the EMEA region has been truly remarkable, and I’m proud to say that STL has emerged as a market leader here. We’ve built our business on strong fundamentals by fostering deep relationships with major Tier 1 telcos, Altnets, and enterprise customers.
Our growth has been both organic through strategic mergers and acquisitions (M&As), allowing us to expand our reach and solidify our presence. Today, our robust business foundation spans over 90 countries in EMEA, putting STL at the forefront. Looking ahead, we’ll leverage the same playbook, tailoring it with a local touch to replicate our success in other regions.
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WCI: The optical networking industry is undergoing rapid transformation. What are the current global trends driving this change?
RP: The requirement at present is to build a robust telecom infrastructure to support AI-led digital growth.
Additionally, fast installation with a plug-and-play solution is essential to expedite network rollouts. Coherent optical technologies, such as 400G and 800G solutions, are enabling efficient, long-distance data transmission. At the same time, software-defined networking (SDN) and AI-driven automation are making networks more intelligent and adaptable, optimizing traffic management. The shift towards open, interoperable systems is fostering innovation while lowering costs.
WCI: What opportunities and challenges do you foresee for the ‘Optical Networking Business’ in India?
RP: With the surge in data demand, driven by data centers, 5G, IoT, and cloud technologies, there is a clear opportunity for high-capacity, and efficient networking solutions. As India focuses on building infrastructure and expanding broadband reach, optical networking stands at the forefront of this evolution.
India is among the top 3 nations with the largest 5G installed base and more than 100 million users. According to Nasscom, 5G is expected to power up to 2% of India’s GDP, amounting to USD 180 billion by 2030.
The 5G rollout progresses with more than 270 million users, and approximately 6500 towns and cities, 3.5 lakh BTS till date. The telecom companies are projected to spend USD 2 billion on 5G fiberization.
However, the telecom industry is also facing some challenges like managing the increasing complexity of optical networks, particularly with the rapid expansion of fibre infrastructure. Ensuring seamless integration and monitoring during network growth while maintaining quality is critical. Moreover, cybersecurity concerns are becoming more pronounced with the expansion of digital services and cloud-based operations, requiring a heightened focus on securing sensitive data.
My focus has always been on expanding STL’s presence in key global markets, significantly increasing our business across the telecom and technology sectors.
WCI: How is Sterlite Technologies adapting to meet the increasing demand for high-speed connectivity and the transition to 5G and beyond?
RP: STL is advancing its optical fibre technology by focusing on advanced fibre solutions tailored to meet the demands of 5G and beyond. STL kept Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data centers at the core of its new product development charter during FY25.
STL further accelerated its efforts in developing products that help mitigate challenges like limited duct space; speedy deployment; and easy, de-skilled installations.
Progressing on its intent of entering the AI-DC segment, the company developed a strong Make-in-India portfolio anchored on its advanced Intelligently Bonded Ribbon Technology. Moreover, STL embedded AI into its ‘Fibre Optic Sensing’ offering and also developed an AI-powered network planning tool for Bharatnet network design.
The company developed industry leading 288-fibre microcable with its 180-micron fibre, and 7-core Multicore Fibre (MCF) for quantum computing and silicon photonics.
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WCI: The Indian telecom sector is at a pivotal stage. How does Sterlite Technologies plan to contribute to India’s digital infrastructure growth?
RP: STL is making significant strides in advancing India’s digital infrastructure through its customer-centricity and product innovation.
Our digital network buildouts, with a focus on building robust, and scalable networks, are playing a key role in the deployment of 5G, broadband, and future-proofed telecom infrastructure across the country.
Additionally, our cutting-edge fibre optical solutions coupled with innovations in optical fibre sensing and AI-driven network management, are poised to enable telecom operators to meet the growing demand for high-speed, reliable connectivity.
STL is also addressing rural connectivity challenges with last mile connectivity, ensuring that underserved areas are connected to the digital ecosystem, and contributing to the government’s ‘Digital India’ mission.
WCI: What are the key milestones or goals you hope to achieve for the ‘Optical Networking Business’ in the next 5 years?
RP: Our goal in the future is to become one of the top 3 global companies in optical networking business and to be a formidable player in optical connectivity and data center space. We will continue to focus on product innovation to solve customer problems. With proven strategies, we will continue to drive our growth globally.
STL kept Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data centers at the core of its new product development charter during FY25.
