The Hindu Businessline's on the beat podcast

The Hindu businessline

On the Beat is your front-row seat to the pulse of India’s business world — where headlines meet real-world impact. Each episode unpacks key trends, rising industries, and the stories driving today’s economic shifts. From boardroom strategies to market shake-ups, Businessline's top reporters' bring you sharp insights and fresh voices — featuring founders, analysts, insiders, and the minds shaping the markets. Tune in and get in sync with what’s making (and breaking) the news cycle across India.

Episodes

  1. Aug 4

    India’s 5G roadmap: Can telcos turn scale into profits?

    India’s telecom sector has achieved one of the fastest 5G deployments anywhere in the world. But after the record-breaking rollout comes the tougher question: how do operators turn massive network investments into sustainable returns?In this episode of On the Beat, Vallari Sanzgiri speaks with Nitin Bansal, Managing Director, Ericsson India, about the evolution of India’s telecom ecosystem and the opportunities emerging from next-generation connectivity.Bansal reflects on India’s remarkable 5G journey, highlighting the deployment of nearly 200,000 sites in just 18 months and the country’s status as one of the world’s largest consumers of mobile data. He explains how the focus is now shifting from network build-out to creating value through consumer and enterprise applications, including fixed wireless access (FWA), differentiated connectivity services, and industry-specific digital transformation initiatives.The discussion also tackles one of the industry's most pressing concerns: 5G monetisation. Are telecom operators facing an uphill battle in recovering their investments, or do emerging services and enterprise use cases offer a viable path to growth? Bansal shares Ericsson’s perspective on how technologies such as network slicing can enhance user experiences while opening new revenue opportunities.Bansal outlines how telecom infrastructure is evolving to meet the demands of an increasingly intelligent digital economy. (Hosted by : Vallari Sanzgiri, Produced by : Siddharth Mathew Cherian)

  2. 08/22/2025

    Oil shocks, AI jitters & sanctioned partners: Inside India Inc’s risk radar

    At a time when companies across the globe are facing voltalitle geopolitical and macro-economic conditions, a recent survey by Kroll, leading independent provider of global financial and risk advisory solutions, indicated  that fewer than one in four Indian respondents believed that they are very prepared to address the totality of all business challenges ahead, lagging all other countries in the APAC region (30%) as well as the global average (32%) .In a podcast interaction, Tarun Bhatia, Managing Director and Co-Head APAC, Investigations Diligence and Compliance, Kroll spoke about the key business challenges being faced by organisations in India.  "More than half (56%) say their level of preparedness for the year ahead is either the same or lower than it was over the previous year," Kroll's 2025 Global Busines Sentiment Survey Report stated. Bhatia pointed out that the risks businesses are facing are not the typical operational risks. Besides, geopolitical tensiosn, cybersecurity threats, AI developments and integration, data privacy concerns, economic instability and regulatory changes are all emerging as key risk concerns. He added that businesses have been focusing more on financial metrics in the past but now they need to look at the impact of multiple variables on their businesses. Rapid-fire events are reshaping the global economy and jolting the business environment in real time delivering unprecedented challenges for even the most seasoned global business leaders, he added. (Host: Meenakshi Verma Ambwani, Producer: Prethicshaa Gurumoorthy)

About

On the Beat is your front-row seat to the pulse of India’s business world — where headlines meet real-world impact. Each episode unpacks key trends, rising industries, and the stories driving today’s economic shifts. From boardroom strategies to market shake-ups, Businessline's top reporters' bring you sharp insights and fresh voices — featuring founders, analysts, insiders, and the minds shaping the markets. Tune in and get in sync with what’s making (and breaking) the news cycle across India.