Bharti Airtel’s dispute with Tejas Networks has intensified, with the telecom operator reiterating that the Tata Group-owned company’s equipment deployed by state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is “sub-standard,” rejecting the local equipment maker Tejas’s defence as unfounded.
Also Read: Airtel Alleges BSNL 4G Gear Causing Network Interference in Rajasthan; Tejas Denies
Airtel Flags Non-Conformance in Tejas Radios
The row began after Airtel, in a November 14 letter, sought immediate corrective action from Tejas over persistent interference allegedly caused by the vendor’s radio equipment installed at BSNL sites in Rajasthan. Airtel maintains that the issue stems from technical non-conformance in Tejas’s radios and filter design. According to the operator, the filter supplied by Tejas was built for the 864–894 MHz range, as per certain international norms, while India’s 800 MHz band operates strictly within 869–889 MHz. This deviation, Airtel said, results in spillover that disrupts its 900 MHz uplink.
Airtel Dismisses Tejas Explanation as Baseless
"The claim made by Tejas Networks is baseless. Towers have historically accommodated two or more sites of different operators without interference, so the problem isn't due to closeness of sites. The current problem is more a function of sub-standard equipment which doesn't conform to Indian spectrum allocation requirements," Airtel said in a statement to The Economic Times, according to a report dated November 26, 2026.
A spokesperson for Airtel told Business Standard that the claims were 'baseless', saying that towers routinely accommodate two or more operators in close proximity, Gulveen Aulakh reported on November 26, 2025.
Also Read: Tejas Networks Rejects Airtel’s Claims, Blames Tower Proximity for Interference: Report
Tejas Blames Airtel’s Tower Proximity
Tejas Networks has rejected the allegation, saying its radios meet all out-of-band emission specifications. In its November 24 response, the company attributed the interference to Airtel’s decision to deploy sites in very close proximity to BSNL’s, without ensuring adequate coupling loss to minimise signal disruption.
"The interference from BSNL to Airtel arises not due to Tejas's radios not meeting out-of-band emission specifications but primarily because Airtel's sites are deployed very close to BSNL's, without adequately maximising coupling losses," Tejas wrote in the November 24 letter, according to reports.
WPC Asked BSNL to Deploy Filters
According to a PTI report dated November 25, 2025, Airtel had complained to the Wireless Planning Commission (WPC) wing of the Department of Telecom in March regarding the interference issue. An industry source, who requested anonymity, said the WPC has asked BSNL to deploy adequate filters to resolve the problem. Signal interference may lead to slowing or blocking of communications, noise in calls and other issues that may adversely affect service quality.
BSNL and Bharti Airtel have been assigned radio frequency ranges that partially overlap. In such scenarios, networks are required to make adequate arrangements with filters and maintain sufficient spacing between towers to prevent signal interference.
Airtel Dismisses Explanation
Airtel, however, dismissed this explanation, noting that telecom towers have historically hosted multiple operators without interference issues. It asserted that the problem lies squarely with Tejas’s equipment, adding that all global vendors supplying radios for India’s 850 MHz band comply with domestic spectrum norms. This means the signal from the 850 MHz band gets turned off within a certain limit and thus doesn't interfere with the uplink of the 900 MHz band.
"But the radio equipment made by Tejas for the 850 MHz for India - being used by BSNL - radiates signals beyond those limits, thus interfering with Airtel's 900 MHz uplink. To resolve the matter, Tejas needs to use a filter to ensure the equipment radiates signals only up to the limit," an Airtel spokesperson said, according to the reports.
Call for Filters to Fix
Airtel has urged Tejas to install appropriate filters to restrict emissions and prevent interference with its network operations.
Also Read: BSNL Flags Weak Signals at Thousands of New 4G Towers, Seeks Fix from TCS and Tejas
Spectrum Allocation, Not Equipment, at the Root of Dispute
The ongoing dispute between Airtel and BSNL over the private telecom major’s complaint of network interference in Rajasthan likely stems from spectrum allocation to the two service providers, not equipment issues, sources have said, according to a Moneycontrol report dated November 26, 2025, by Danish Khan.
Guard Band Between Airtel and BSNL Seen as Core Issue
According to the report, sources close to Tejas Networks said the problem lies in the limited guard band between the spectrum blocks allocated to Airtel and BSNL, rather than in the equipment itself.
“Airtel is raising the complaint with the wrong party. The issue is not with the radio equipment. The cause is the band allocated to BSNL and the inadequate guard band between the two operators’ spectrum blocks,” one of the sources was quoted as saying.
Filters Installed, Further Coordination Needed
Antennas with built-in filters have already been installed across 1,000 BSNL sites, and Airtel should coordinate with the state-owned operator to expand deployment to additional locations to mitigate interference, the report quoted sources as saying.
WPC’s Spectrum Assignment Questioned
The Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) wing of the DoT assigned the band without following 3GPP-recommended guard band norms. “This is not an equipment fault. It is a spectrum-planning issue,” the source reportedly said.
Tejas Defends Equipment Compliance
Tejas has said its radios are compliant with 3GPP standards and have been validated by independent third-party testers. “The interference arises because the guard band is ‘too narrow,’ leading to spillover despite standards-compliant hardware,” the source added.
BSNL Needs to Procure Filter
According to the report, the person also said Airtel has not approached BSNL, even though “technically the complaint should be made to BSNL, since it is BSNL’s spectrum property”. A filter — though not part of the original tender specifications — could fix the issue and BSNL would ultimately need to procure it, the sources reportedly said.
Tejas Networks is a responsible company, and “we have been working with diligence in our country's indigenisation efforts in building the telecom technology successfully. The radios supplied by Tejas Networks are fully compliant with 3GPP standards”, he said, as mentioned in the report.
Tejas Says Emission Standards Fully Met
According to Tejas’s letter, the radios were designed per BSNL tender specifications. All radio models deployed in BSNL’s network meet emission requirements “with very good margin”, backed by reports submitted to WPC and Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO).
During joint measurements conducted with Airtel and WMO officials, Tejas “demonstrated that there is no violation of emissions “with respect to mentioned standards.
BSNL’s New 4G Towers Signal Issues
Earlier, in a separate row, BSNL had also raised concerns over weak transmission signals at thousands of its newly deployed 4G towers—an issue contributing to call drops and slower data speeds. TCS and Tejas, in response to queries, reportedly said that most of these issues have been resolved and that there is no impact on BSNL’s key performance indicators (KPIs).
