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Ericsson names Randeep Raina as head of customer unit Vodafone Idea
Former Google India executive succeeds Krishna Patil as Ericsson deepens Vi partnership
New Delhi: Ericsson has reshuffled its leadership deck in India, appointing telecom veteran Randeep Raina to head its Customer Unit for Vodafone Idea (Vi) as the company steps up its focus on next-generation network deployments.
The Swedish telecom equipment maker said Raina will lead Ericsson’s engagement with Vodafone Idea, working closely with the operator on network evolution and the rollout of advanced connectivity solutions. He will be based in Mumbai and report to Ericsson chief executive officer, Market Area Southeast Asia, Oceania and India Andres Vicente. Raina will also join the company’s regional leadership team.
He succeeds Ericsson executive advisor Andres Vicente Krishna Patil, who has been appointed executive advisor to Vicente after leading Ericsson’s long-standing engagement with Vodafone Idea.
Raina joins Ericsson after serving as head of telco and strategic partnerships at Google India. He has more than 27 years of experience spanning technology, sales, strategy and business development, and has previously served as chief technology and strategy officer at Nokia Networks India.
Commenting on the appointment, Ericsson chief executive officer, Market Area Southeast Asia, Oceania and India Andres Vicente said, “It’s a pleasure to welcome Randeep on board as we collaborate with Vi to build a future-ready network and accelerate its digital transformation journey.”
Vicente added that Raina’s leadership experience, strategic vision and customer-first approach would help deepen Ericsson’s partnership with Vodafone Idea and support the operator’s network evolution plans.
He also acknowledged Krishna Patil’s contribution, saying Patil had played a key role in building a strong and trusted partnership with Vodafone Idea over several years.
Ericsson and Vodafone Idea have expanded their collaboration in recent months. The telecom operator recently selected Ericsson’s cloud-native charging solution to modernise its postpaid services, while continuing to work with the vendor on 4G and 5G network expansion, capacity augmentation and AI-powered network operations.
The appointment comes as Vodafone Idea continues to invest in strengthening its network infrastructure and accelerating 5G deployment, with Ericsson remaining one of its key technology partners in India’s evolving telecom landscape.
