BSNL nears revenue target with 93% achievement in September quarter, ARPU at Rs 91: Jyotiraditya Scindia

Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) achieved 93% of its revenue target for the September quarter of FY26, clocking Rs 5,347 crore, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday after a quarterly performance review of the company’s progress.

For the first half of the fiscal year, BSNL’s total revenue stood at Rs 11,134 crore. “We had set a target of Rs 5,740 crore for this quarter and achieved Rs 5,347 crore — a strong performance considering the ambitious goal we set based on last year’s growth,” Scindia said.

He added that BSNL aims to grow its overall revenue by 20% in FY26 to Rs 27,500 crore. The company had closed the previous year with a revenue run rate of around ₹23,000 crore.

The minister also highlighted a notable improvement in BSNL’s average revenue per user (ARPU) — a key metric of telecom performance — which rose from Rs 81 in Q1 to Rs 91 in Q2, marking a 12% increase. Some circles, including Maharashtra, Kerala, UP East, Andaman & Nicobar, and Jammu & Kashmir, recorded exceptional performance with ARPUs touching as high as Rs 214.

However, Scindia raised concerns over lagging circles such as Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Kolkata, where ARPU remains around Rs 60.

Scindia also laid out a seven-point roadmap for BSNL’s management and circle heads to accelerate operational efficiency, improve service quality, and drive revenue growth. He stressed that the quality of service was non-negotiable and must be monitored daily, not monthly or weekly. Parameters such as uptime, mean repair time, and customer response time should be tracked rigorously, he said, adding that every other metric would follow from service quality.

The minister urged BSNL to benchmark its network and service standards against private operators to identify and bridge performance gaps. Understanding where the company stands vis-à-vis competition, he said, is the first step toward meaningful improvement.

He also directed that all battery media and power backup replacements across circles be completed by December 31, well ahead of the March 2026 timeline proposed earlier. Any challenges faced in procurement or supplier coordination should be escalated immediately to the Department of Telecommunications or the Ministry of State, he said, adding that progress must now be measured in days and hours, not months.

Calling for tighter fiscal discipline, Scindia said cost control must be treated as a priority. An increase in costs without corresponding revenue growth would not be acceptable, and no circle should post a negative EBITDA even for a single day. Every rupee saved, he said, directly strengthens the company’s bottom line.

The minister also encouraged BSNL to innovate and explore new revenue streams across its business verticals — Consumer Mobility, Enterprise Business, and Consumer Fixed Access. He cited the Department of Posts’ recent move to become a KYC provider for mutual funds as an example of diversification, and asked BSNL to aim for a 50:50 revenue split between government and private sector clients by the end of next fiscal.

Recognising high-performing regions, Scindia lauded the Karnataka, Haryana, UP East, Jammu & Kashmir, and Andaman & Nicobar circles as BSNL’s “five stars” for the quarter. He urged other circles to emulate and challenge them in the next review cycle to foster healthy competition.

He further called on circle heads to replicate the central review model within their own regions to ensure consistent communication and accountability. Each circle, he said, should engage directly with its eight business areas, which in turn oversee operational and sub-divisional units. “These 400 officers form BSNL’s core management team — your family. Empower them, motivate them, and the system will drive itself,” he said.