The Minister for Communications, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, has directed Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to expand its customer base and improve Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), while placing greater emphasis on enhancing Quality of Service (QoS) parameters. These directions were issued during a detailed, circle-wise review of BSNL’s performance and achievements.
The minister conducted a comprehensive assessment of revenue targets across all service verticals of BSNL. The performance of individual circles was evaluated with a focus on identifying best practices and addressing gaps to ensure sustained revenue growth. He instructed the state-owned telecom operator to place special emphasis on growing its mobile customer base and strengthening its presence in the mobile segment.
Highlighting operational progress, Scindia noted that while some circles had recorded appreciable growth in mobile subscribers, others needed to improve their performance. He also observed a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) improvement in mobile ARPU and urged circles where ARPU levels remained flat to take corrective measures to enhance revenue. Strategies to increase mobile ARPU through improved service offerings, customer retention initiatives, and value-added services were also discussed.
QoS parameters, including mobile network availability and Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), were reviewed during the meeting. Circles such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, UP East, Karnataka, Punjab, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Kolkata, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand were identified as leaders in Mobile BTS MTTR, having demonstrated significant QoQ improvement.
The Minister directed all circles to continuously improve network reliability, reduce downtime, and ensure timely fault resolution to enhance the overall customer experience.
In the Enterprise Business segment, Scindia congratulated five star-performing circles—Karnataka, Odisha, Gujarat, Haryana, and UP (West)—for their strong performance in enterprise customer acquisition and business growth.
Meanwhile, BSNL reported a net loss of Rs1,357 crore in the September quarter, wider than the Rs1,048 crore loss in the preceding quarter and the Rs1,241.7 crore loss reported in the year-ago quarter, according to the company’s financial statements dated November 14.