Indian IT services company Tech Mahindra reportedly said its private 5G strategy involves collaborating with enterprises and telecom operators, with the goal of accelerating Industry 4.0 adoption across sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare.
Tech Mahindra's Private 5G Vision
The Pune-headquartered IT services firm said it has already executed captive non-public network (CNPN) deployments in India, enabling advanced use cases such as connected robotics and real-time analytics in automotive manufacturing facilities. "We have executed deployments in collaboration with telcos and enterprises, bringing advanced Industry 4.0 use cases to life. We have worked with automotive manufacturing facilities to enable connected robotics and real-time analytics that improve productivity and quality," Amol Phadke, chief transformation officer at Tech Mahindra, told ETTelecom.
Collaborations with Ecosystem Players
According to Phadke, the company has also partnered with ecosystem players to co-develop artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled private 5G solutions aimed at boosting adoption among enterprises. Tech Mahindra had earlier collaborated with Bharti Airtel to deploy a private 5G network at Mahindra's Chakan facility in 2022, making it India’s first 5G-enabled automobile manufacturing plant.
Also Read: Airtel 5G Plus Powered Smart Factory Use Case Explained
Private 5G Networks
Private 5G networks, or CNPNs, are viewed as a key application of fifth-generation wireless broadband, promising high-speed and low-latency connectivity for enterprises while opening new monetisation avenues for telecom carriers. However, commercial deployments remain limited in India due to regulatory uncertainty, spectrum availability issues and a lack of devices that can leverage advanced 5G capabilities.
Enterprises are also unlikely to deploy private 5G in the absence of a clear return-on-investment (RoI), according to Dinesh Rao, executive vice president and chief delivery officer at Infosys, who was quoted in the report dated September 9, 2025.
Phadke reportedly said that the regulatory aspects are "evolving" in India, adding that Tech Mahindra would drive private 5G adoption in India and deliver its benefits in various industries.
Regulatory and Deployment Challenges in India
"Although the initial momentum has been slow, primarily due to regulatory complexities and spectrum allocation issues, we anticipate that adoption will speed up as businesses become more aware of the RoI associated with digital transformation," Phadke reportedly said.
"By combining private networks with edge computing, AI, and the Internet of Things (IoT), Tech Mahindra aims to enable the large-scale implementation of Industry 4.0," Phadke, a former Google Cloud executive, added, according to the report.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has initiated a demand study for the second time to assess spectrum requirements for private 5G, though both exercises failed to attract significant interest from enterprises. Current guidelines allow companies to either lease spectrum from telcos or seek direct allocation from the DoT.
On August 19, London-based global industry body GSMA recommended that the DoT consider a telecom operator-led model for fulfilling private 5G needs, reasoning that public mobile networks are capable of meeting enterprise connectivity needs in a "competitive, secure, and cost-effective manner," the report added.
AI-Led Innovations with Indian Telcos
Phadke also revealed that Tech Mahindra is collaborating with Indian telcos to co-develop innovative artificial intelligence (AI)-led use cases. "Tech Mahindra has a strong history of collaboration with leading Indian operators and continues to engage closely with them on transformative AI-led use cases," he reportedly said.
