Telecom gear maker Mavenir to lay off hundreds after missing 4G/5G deals in India

Mavenir, the US-based telecom gear manufacturer, is set to lay off hundreds of employees—many of them in India—after failing to secure commercial 4G and 5G radio access network (RAN) contracts from Indian telecom operators. The move marks one of the most significant job reductions in India’s telecom vendor space in recent months.

The layoffs are part of a global restructuring plan aimed at realigning operations amid evolving market conditions. According to sources cited by Moneycontrol, the cuts are predominantly impacting roles within the radio and RAN engineering teams, echoing similar reductions underway in the United States.

“The layoffs began in December and are ongoing,” a source familiar with the matter said. “Hundreds of roles have been impacted. While many were let go, some have been reassigned to other business areas such as packet core.”

This is the second-largest wave of layoffs to hit India’s telecom equipment sector in the past 12–15 months, following Nokia’s workforce reduction of approximately 250–300 employees during its own 2024 global restructuring initiative.

Employees affected by Mavenir’s downsizing have taken to LinkedIn in recent weeks, actively seeking roles in 4G, 5G, and OpenRAN technologies.

Though Mavenir has not directly addressed the layoffs in India, a company spokesperson acknowledged ongoing adjustments to align with customer demands. “We continue to invest and work closely with our customers, adjusting, as necessary, our business requirements to match market demand,” the spokesperson said.

Despite its setbacks, Mavenir insists it has made meaningful investments in its RAN business and contributed to expanding global choices for telecom operators over the past four years. However, recent internal data paints a different picture. While Mavenir’s 2024 corporate responsibility report claimed the company had over 4,500 employees and contractors—most based in India—CEO Pardeep Kohli confirmed in February that the figure had already dropped to 4,000, due to layoffs in the OpenRAN division. Insiders now suggest that number has declined even further, as the restructuring continues into April.

The job cuts follow a failed push to gain a foothold in India’s highly competitive 4G/5G RAN market. Mavenir had conducted pilot trials of its OpenRAN technology with Vodafone Idea across several telecom circles, anticipating a breakthrough deal. However, the operator ultimately awarded $3.6 billion worth of contracts to long-established rivals Nokia and Ericsson, and added Samsung as a new vendor.

“OpenRAN is still not at the same level of maturity as the technology provided by traditional vendors like Nokia and Ericsson,” Jagbir Singh, CTO of Vodafone Idea, told Moneycontrol. “From a total cost of ownership standpoint, virtualised RAN is still more advantageous than any current OpenRAN offering.”

Mavenir’s restructuring has also coincided with leadership churn. The exit of John Baker, Senior Vice President of Business Development and a prominent figure in the OpenRAN space, in December, is believed to have further impacted the company’s strategic positioning.

As the telecom market in India consolidates around trusted legacy players, Mavenir’s challenges serve as a stark reminder of the hurdles newer entrants face in gaining market trust and scale.