New Delhi: Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya M. Scindia has asked state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to step up efforts to expand its customer base, improve Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and strengthen Quality of Service (QoS), during a detailed, circle-wise review of the telecom operator’s performance.
The minister carried out a comprehensive assessment of BSNL’s revenue targets across service verticals, evaluating individual circles to identify best practices and address performance gaps. He stressed the need for sustained revenue growth, with a specific focus on scaling up the mobile subscriber base and reinforcing BSNL’s footprint in the mobile segment.
Scindia noted that while certain circles had posted healthy gains in mobile subscribers, others were lagging and needed corrective action. He also pointed to a quarter-on-quarter improvement in mobile ARPU at the aggregate level, but flagged circles where ARPU remained stagnant, urging them to adopt measures to boost revenues through better service offerings, customer retention and value-added services.
Quality of Service indicators, including network availability and Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), were also reviewed. Circles such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, UP East, Karnataka, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Kolkata, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand were cited for notable quarter-on-quarter improvements in Mobile BTS MTTR.
In the enterprise segment, Karnataka, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana and UP (West) were recognised as top-performing circles for enterprise customer acquisition and business growth.
The review comes amid continued financial stress at BSNL, which reported a net loss of Rs 1,357 crore in the September quarter, widening from Rs 1,048 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 1,241.7 crore in the year-ago period.
