BSNL back in black: India's oldest Telecom company turns profitable after 17 years, subscriber base rises to...

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is a name synonymous with India's telecommunications history. Once the undisputed leader in the country's telecom landscape, BSNL has witnessed a steady decline in its market share and reputation, eclipsed by the relentless rise of private players like Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, who have transformed the industry with their aggressive expansion and innovative strategies. 

In a stunning reversal of fortunes, this state-owned telecom giant has swung back to profitability, reporting a net profit in the December quarter of FY25 - its first quarterly profit in 17 years. The telecom service provider reported a net profit of Rs 262 crore for the October-December quarter (Q3FY25), the significant turnaround comes as it posted its first quarterly net profit since 2007.

This milestone is attributed to BSNL's strategic focus on expanding its service offerings and subscriber base. Notably, the company achieved impressive growth of 14-18% across mobility, 18% growth in FTTH, and 14% rise in leased line services. Additionally, BSNL's subscriber base has seen a significant surge, rising to approximately nine crore in December from 8.4 crore in June. 

This upward trend underscores the company's successful strategies to revamp its services and attract new customers. It  has successfully reduced its finance costs and overall expenditure, leading to a significant decline in losses of over Rs 1,800 crore compared to the previous year.
To further enhance customer experience, it has introduced several new offerings, including National WiFi Roaming, BiTV entertainment for mobile customers, IFTV for FTTH customers, and the country's first private 5G connectivity for mining.

Telecommunications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia hailed the telecom giant’s quarterly performance as a significant turning point. "…This quarter's return to profitability is a significant turning point for BSNL as it now embarks on providing 4G services to its subscribers across India. Out of 100,000 towers, 75,000 have been installed, and about 60,000 have been commissioned. We hope that all 100,000 towers will be operational by June," he said.