Rural connectivity critical for bridging digital divide: Frog Cellsat

Frog Cellsat Ltd, headquartered in India, is one of the leading manufacturers of RF equipment. It is passionate about developing and delivering coverage, as well as capacity enhancement solutions and services for next-generation wireless and mobile broadband networks. Frog Cellsat also offers in-building coverage planning and design services, along with radio access network (RAN) and backhaul network installation services.

Konark Trivedi, Founder and MD, Frog Cellsat, tells us more. Excerpts from an interview: 

VnD: What is your vision and mission for the company? 

Konark Trivedi: Frog Cellsat offers a comprehensive and end-to-end mobile coverage enhancement solutions, known for their price competitiveness, field proven, future-ready, and highly reliable technology. We envision to being a global leader in RF technology by continuously innovating and providing cutting-edge solutions that enhance connectivity and communication for people and businesses while enhancing connectivity and communication across diverse geographies.

As a brand, it is also our mission to design, innovate, and deliver high-quality, cost-effective network coverage equipment and accessories. We aim to support the advancement of next-generation wireless and mobile broadband networks, contributing to a connected and sustainable future.

VnD: What are your milestones and achievements so far?

Konark Trivedi: Till 2016, we were known as repeater manufacturers in the telecom industry. Post 2016, we have added several new products to our portfolio. The most important of which has been active distributed antenna system (DAS) and interference mitigation solution. 

While active DAS is used to provide mobile coverage at large venues such as airports, metros, convention centres, stadiums, etc., and interference mitigation solution that helps operators clean the in-band interference in the uplink signal, which increases the cell coverage radius and improves the quality and capacity of the eNB.

Our active DAS system has been successfully deployed at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow. Following that, we have secured orders to deploy the solution at prestigious Noida International Airport and Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. 

In October 2022, Frog Cellsat achieved a significant milestone by being listed at NSE-SME, marking a new chapter in our journey of growth and innovation. The ISO 9001:2015 certification underscores our commitment to quality and excellence, ensuring that our products and services meet the highest standards of reliability and performance.

VnD: How has your journey and expertise been in this field?

Konark Trivedi: The telecom market in India has seen lot of challenges, as well as opportunities, since our inception in 2004. We have been consistent in moulding ourselves to the needs of the market and this has helped us not just survive these two decades but given us good growth too. 

Today, we are the only Indian manufacturer in this space of manufacturing digital repeaters and active DAS equipment.  

VnD: How have your clientele and partnerships contributed to Frog Cellsat's growth and success in the telecommunications industry?

Konark Trivedi: India is just a three-mobile-operator-market, and we have been working with all three of them. Apart from mobile operators, we also work with neutral hosts and civil contractors for active DAS projects. We work with the public safety agencies for deploying private networks.

Our proven quality product, backed by local manufacturing with full government certification as “trusted source” are main reasons for which our customers have long term engagement with us.
 
VnD: What are your insights on the challenges in the telecom sector?

Konark Trivedi: The Indian telecom sector currently faces regulatory, technological and security concerns that needs immediate attention. Technological advancements like 5G and AI require significant investment and infrastructure upgrades, which can only be done through a robust R&D infrastructure inviting investment and promoting Indian players. We also face cyber security threats that necessitates the need to strengthen security measures to ensure data privacy.

The regulatory compliance and market competition add to the complexity, as companies must navigate varying regulations and intense competition. Additionally, talent acquisition is crucial, with a need for skilled professionals to manage and innovate within these technologies. It is also important to note that sustainability and geopolitical tensions also impact operations, requiring strategic planning and adaptability. 

Addressing these challenges is essential for maintaining growth and delivering reliable, high-quality services.

VnD: Are you working on RF equipment for 5G+ and even 6G?

Konark Trivedi: We are focused on coverage solutions for mobile networks. Usually, our solutions are deployed once the main mobile network is properly deployed and sufficient subscribers are on-boarded on the technology. Like 5G network got deployed in India, broadly by March 2024. Only after this, our 5G solution started to get deployed for improving coverage of the deployed network. 

While our solution is ready and being deployed for 5G, for us work on 6G will start probably sometime in 2025. 

VnD: Can your share you views on the introduction of INR 80,000 crore through Digital Bharat Nidhi fund?

Konark Trivedi: The introduction of the Rs. 80,000 crore Digital Bharat Nidhi fund is a significant leap toward redefining the urban telecom landscape and ensuring equal access to telecom services across the nation. This proactive move by the government will foster substantial infrastructure upgrades and promote indigenous technological advancements. 

It will empower telecom companies to accelerate the rollout of high-quality, resilient networks, addressing critical gaps in urban and rural connectivity and service delivery.

The funding will support the expansion of mobile and broadband services, as well as the development of telecommunication equipment, opening new avenues for collaboration, innovation, and contribution, building a robust digital ecosystem. 

We are positive that the government's commitment to enhancing telecom services will not only improve network affordability and security, but also accelerate digital adoption. This will fuel economic growth and strengthen India's mission of becoming 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, ultimately positioning India as a leader in global telecom technology.

VnD: What can be done to enhance the connectivity in the rural areas? What is Frog Cellsat doing to facilitate the same?

Konark Trivedi: Enhancing connectivity in rural areas is critical for bridging the digital divide and promoting economic growth. Rural regions often lack reliable infrastructure, making it essential to implement innovative solutions that extend network coverage and improve access to mobile and broadband services. 

Frog Cellsat is committed to facilitating connectivity in these underserved areas by developing advanced wireless communication solutions that address coverage challenges. 

We specialize in designing and manufacturing RF equipment that enhances both coverage and capacity for next-generation wireless networks, particularly in areas where conventional infrastructure is not feasible.

The main issue in serving the rural areas has always been “return on investment”. Our specially-designed low-cost repeater solution for rural connectivity, solves this problem. Using our solution operator can extend coverage from his existing nearby eNB sites to the rural areas at fraction of cost that otherwise they need to invest. 

Our solution has been used successfully for such coverage needs in remote areas in Africa region, as well as to provide village coverage in small villages in Nepal.