Sanjeev Banzal, adviser, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, has over 22 years of experience, working in various capacities in government organisations such as the Department of Telecommunications and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited. He has been involved in network planning, installation of exchanges, operations and maintenance, training management, procurement and inventory management, marketing management, and regulatory issues. He is also chairman of the Expert Group on Spectrum, in the South Asian Telecommunication Regulator’s Council comprising nine member countries, and has been a member of Disaster Communications in the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity.

In his current position, Banzal looks after regulations pertaining to unified licences, cellular mobile licences, PMRTS/CMRTS licences, VSAT licences and GMPCS licences. In addition, he is responsible for dealing with spectrum management for access and microwave services, implementation of full mobile number portability (MNP), ensuring efficient utilisation of spectrum, and effective roll-out of 3G and 4G networks by telecom operators. He played a key role in formulating the MNP guidelines and determining the charges for porting. Planning the telecom network for the north-eastern states and the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands was another important assignment for Banzal.

During his term in various government organisations, he has worked on many important assignments, of which he recalls his tenure as a subdivisional officer telegraph and divisional engineer in the rural areas of Madhya Pradesh as particularly memorable. He was responsible for deploying wireline networks in areas that did not have telecom connectivity. “The delight on the faces of the villagers once they were connected to rest of the world through telephone provided me immense joy and satisfaction, and motivated me to work more for the country and the people.”

Banzal lists his high motivation level, honesty, integrity, patience, perseverance, and dedication to work as his main strengths. He believes in participative management and takes care of the needs of his team members to keep them motivated.

He likes spending time with his family, reading books and listening to music. He also meditates and practises yoga every day. Banzal enjoys travelling and has visited several countries for work and leisure. He has a master’s in electronics and telecommunications engineering from the Delhi College of Engineering and an MBA from the Management Development Institute, Gurgaon.