Reinventing itself with rising revenues, expanding rural connectivity, indigenous 4G deployment and profitability in sight, BSNL is gaining momentum.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has increased its annual revenue from ₹210 billion to ₹250 billion over the past two years, while improving its operating performance, according to Union Minister of State for Communications and Rural Development, Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani.
Speaking in an interview with DD India, Pemmasani said the state-owned telecom operator’s revival has been driven by infrastructure upgrades, operational reforms and expanded network coverage, particularly in underserved regions.
The minister said BSNL’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) had increased from about ₹500 million to nearly ₹70 billion during the same period.
According to Pemmasani, the company addressed several long-standing challenges, including network reliability, ageing infrastructure and workplace processes. He cited Andhra Pradesh as an example, where tower uptime was around 75% before improvement measures were introduced.
BSNL subsequently replaced 50,000 batteries across its tower network, upgraded power systems and renewed ageing cables, while introducing performance targets and regular monitoring across operational circles.
The minister also highlighted the rollout of indigenous 4G technology, stating that BSNL had deployed the technology across 100,000 towers within a year. He said India had become one of a small number of countries capable of developing end-to-end domestic 4G technology.
On connectivity expansion, Pemmasani updated that around 25,000 telecom towers had been installed in remote and difficult-to-access villages, with another 10,000 under development. These areas include locations affected by difficult terrain, commercial viability challenges and left-wing extremism.
He added that improved telecommunications infrastructure has enhanced access to public services and emergency assistance in remote regions.
Alongside BSNL’s expansion, the government is investing approximately ₹1.4 trillion in the BharatNet programme to extend high-speed fibre connectivity to every Gram Panchayat. Pemmasani said the first phase aims to increase rural household connections from the current 1.5 million to 15 million.
Looking ahead, the minister said he wanted BSNL to become “trustworthy, proud and profitable” over the next five years.
