Scindia Charts Execution-Driven Roadmap at BSNL’s 2nd Strategic Review Meet

In a high-powered strategy session held in New Delhi, Union Minister for Communications, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, chaired the 2nd Strategic Review and Planning Meeting (2025–26) of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), convening Chief General Managers (CGMs) from all 28 telecom circles across India. The four-hour review marked a crucial milestone in BSNL's ongoing transformation journey from a legacy telecom entity to a customer-focused, performance-driven public sector powerhouse.

Sustaining Profitability After a Historic Turnaround

The meeting was held against the backdrop of BSNL's first-ever back-to-back net profits in FY 2024–25, a feat that reaffirmed the company's turnaround strategy. Minister Scindia opened the session by acknowledging this momentum, noting that BSNL had achieved a 93% revenue run rate in Q2 of FY 2025–26, generating ₹5,347 crore in quarterly revenue. When combined with Q1 revenue of ₹6,000 crore, the total H1 revenue stood at ₹11,134 crore, placing the company firmly on track to meet its ₹27,500 crore annual revenue target for FY 2025–26—a marked increase from the previous year's ₹25,000 crore.

"This momentum is not accidental. It is driven by relentless execution and dedication at the grassroots," said Scindia. "Our CGMs are BSNL's execution artists, and each of you is a standard-bearer of transformation."

Quality of Service: The Non-Negotiable Mantra

The Minister laid strong emphasis on Quality of Service (QoS) as the most critical determinant of BSNL's long-term success. He described QoS as the "non-negotiable mantra" that must guide every operational decision.

He directed all CGMs to:

• Track metrics like uptime, mean repair time, and customer satisfaction indices daily, not monthly.

• Benchmark BTS (Base Transceiver Station) and OTL (Optical Transmission Line) uptime against competitors to identify and close service gaps.

• Replace all battery and media infrastructure by December 2025, ensuring no delays or lapses in execution timelines.

"We operate in days and hours, not months or quarters," Scindia emphasized, making it clear that real-time responsiveness is key to winning customer trust.

Financial Prudence and Operational Discipline

Shri Scindia urged every circle to uphold cost discipline, reiterating that no circle should report a negative EBITDA, even for a single day.

"Every rupee saved goes directly to the bottom line. We must be prudent and precise," he said.

The Minister also spotlighted the need to diversify revenue streams, encouraging CGMs to innovate across Consumer Mobility, Enterprise Business, and Consumer Fixed Access (CFA) segments. He cited India Post's upcoming launch of six new products in 2026 as a model of government-sector innovation, urging BSNL to mirror such entrepreneurial thinking.

Operational Highlights: Encouraging Metrics and Circle Performances

Among key performance indicators presented during the session:

• ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) rose from ₹81 in Q1 to ₹92 in Q2—a 13.6% increase, reflecting improved customer monetization.

• Revenue Per Employee across BSNL averaged ₹9 lakh, with top-performing circles like:

  • Odisha: ₹22 lakh

  • Maharashtra: ₹14 lakh

  • Haryana: ₹15 lakh

Scindia felicitated the CGMs of Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (East), Jammu & Kashmir, and Andaman & Nicobar, recognizing them as BSNL's "five stars". He lauded their leadership, innovation, and consistent performance, and urged other circles to emulate their models.

Culture-Driven Leadership: Empowering at Every Level

In a strong message on institutional leadership and ownership, Scindia advised all CGMs to replicate the central review model within their circles by holding structured performance reviews across:

• Business Areas

• Sub-divisional units

• Operational departments

He recommended engaging over 400 officers per circle in periodic mentoring and feedback loops, building a culture of inclusion, empowerment, and shared accountability.

"Your teams are not just employees; they are your family. If they drive it, we become unstoppable," he remarked, echoing his belief that culture drives execution more than strategy.

Forward March: A National Telecom Engine for Viksit Bharat

Concluding the strategic session, Minister Scindia reaffirmed BSNL's role as a national telecom asset, essential to realizing the goals of Viksit Bharat @2047. He called for customer-centric transformation, built on a foundation of execution discipline, innovation, and trust.

The CGMs unanimously pledged to deliver world-class telecom services, sharpen operational excellence, and uphold financial prudence throughout the remainder of FY 2025–26 and beyond.

What Lies Ahead

With 4G rollouts scaling, FTTH expansion accelerating, and enterprise solutions diversifying, BSNL is entering a new phase of competitive capability. The 2nd Strategic Review Meeting served not only as a performance checkpoint but also as a leadership blueprint for execution-driven transformation, marking BSNL's resurgence as a nationally vital, digitally inclusive telecom operator.