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Informist, Tuesday, Jul. 14, 2026

 

--Source: Exide in talks with telecom tower cos to sell lithium-ion battery

--Source: Exide aim to use own lithium-ion cells in future battery packs

 

By Avishek Rakshit

 

KOLKATA – Exide Industries Ltd. is in talks with major telecom tower operators in the country for battery sales by offering them products at competitive price points. While negotiations are largely for lithium-ion batteries, they also include some lead-acid battery variants, a source aware of the developments told Informist. 

 

Indus Towers Ltd., GTL Infrastructure Ltd., Summit Digitel Infrastructure Ltd., and Ascend Telecom Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. are some of the key companies in India which operate base transceiver stations, commonly referred to as telecom towers. Exide primarily competes with Amara Raja Energy Mobility Ltd., HBL Power Systems, and Waree Technologies Ltd. in the telecom batteries' space.

 

Although telecom tower operators largely use lithium-ion batteries to power their towers now, there is still some demand for lead-acid battery as well. "Not all towers' batteries will get replaced by lithium-ion ones, and so, there will still be some demand for lead-acid variants," the source said. 

 

So long, Exide has been majorly selling lead acid batteries to telecom tower operators and some lithium-ion batteries which are largely imported. As Exide readies its foray into indigenously made lithium-ion battery packs, the company is aiming to rope in as many customers as possible to have increased capacity utilisation.

 

Currently, Exide imports lithium-ion cells and makes packs and modules from its plants in Gujarat. As a result, the current portfolio of Exide's lithium-ion batteries is completely imported. However, the company is aiming to start production of lithium-ion phosphate cells from its upcoming plant near Bengaluru in the December quarter. 

 

The lithium-ion cells, which are currently imported, is expected to get substituted by its own produce from the Bengaluru plant giving the company cost efficiency over its competitors who largely rely on imported cells, the source said. 

 

In the telecom industry, with the surge in data and 5G technology, tower operators have seen a rapid transformation in their needs. While the backup power requirement at tower sites has moved rapidly toward lithium-ion solutions which cater to higher power requirements, their reliance on lead-acid batteries have declined. 

 

In its annual report for 2025-26 (Apr-Mar), Exide said that its telecom lead acid business saw a decline while the lithium-ion business gained traction in line with industry-wide structural headwinds. 

 

While Exide expects its business in the telecom sector to remain under pressure in the near term in the lead-acid part, the company remains focused on leveraging the new opportunities arising out of lithium-ion business. 

 

As a result, Exide has started discussions with all of its consumers in the telecom towers sector to recalibrate its business and cater to their needs of increasing use of lithium-ion batteries. 

 

"They (telecom tower operators) will definitely look for price competitiveness when considering their lithium-ion packs which will be deployed in the towers," the source said. 

 

Earlier, Exide's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Avik Roy had said that Exide is eyeing to roll out lithium-ion products from its Bengaluru plant in the December quarter and its indigenously made lithium-ion cells will contribute towards its top line from the December quarter. 

 

Exide is setting up India's first lithium-ion plant with a planned installed capacity of 12 gigawatt hour. The first phase, comprising 6 gigawatt hour, set up at an investment of INR 62 billion, is expected to start production from the December quarter. Construction of the second phase of the plant, which will add another 6 gigawatt hour capacity to the existing plant, will commence once Exide reaches 75?pacity utilisation from the first phase from its Bengaluru plant, Roy had said.  

 

At 1123 IST, shares of Exide Industries traded slightly down at INR 422.55 on the National Stock Exchange. End

 

IST, or Indian Standard Time, is five-and-a-half hours ahead of GMT

 

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

 

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