New Delhi: State-owned telecom services provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has reported a profit of Rs 262 crore in the third quarter of the financial year, marking its first return to profitability since 2007.
This milestone reflects the company’s focus on innovation, aggressive network expansion, cost optimization, and customer-centric service improvements.
Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia said BSNL’s all three line functions — cellular mobility, FTTH, and lease lines grew during the quarter — at 15 per cent, 18 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the government’s own telecom service provider is going back to its path of profitability and we certainly hope that this year will not only see increase in revenues at the end of the fourth quarter, and we (will) also keep expenditure and cost under control and significantly reduce losses…,” Scindia told reporters.
BSNL’s number of subscribers also increased from 8.4 crore in June 2024 to close to 9 crore in December 2024, the minister told the reporters on Friday.
Of planned 100,000 towers, almost 75,000 have been erected, the minister said. About 65,000 odd have been commissioned and by June this year all 100,000 towers will be operational.
Separately, announcing the quarterly financial results, A. Robert J. Ravi, CMD, BSNL, said, with these efforts, they expect revenue growth to improve further, exceeding 20 per cent by the end of the financial year.
Additionally, BSNL has successfully reduced its finance cost and overall expenditure, leading to a decline in losses by over Rs 1,800 crore compared to last year. To enhance the customer experience, they have introduced new innovations such as National WiFi Roaming, BiTV – Free Entertainment for All Mobile Customers, and IFTV for All FTTH Customers.
“Our continuous focus on Quality of Service and Service Assurance has further strengthened customer trust and reinforced BSNL’s position as a leading telecom service provider in India,” the CMD said.