BSNL Sees Income Surge and Debt Reduction Amid Revival Packages

State-owned BSNL's income increased by 3% to Rs 21,302 crore in FY24. The company benefited from a significant government revival package. BSNL's debt reduced to Rs 23,297 crore, the lowest among telecom operators, compared to Vodafone Idea, Bharti Airtel, and Jio Infocomm.

State-owned BSNL's total income surged by approximately 3% to Rs 21,302 crore in the financial year 2023-24, as revealed in Parliament on Thursday.

Minister of State for Communications Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, disclosed that BSNL's total income was Rs 20,699 crore in 2022-23.

The data pointed out by Sekhar highlights that BSNL has received Rs 1.16 lakh crore from the revival package approved by the government between FY20 and FY24, with Rs 60,203 crore allocated in FY24 alone.

The government has sanctioned three major revival packages for BSNL and MTNL: Rs 69,000 crore in 2019, Rs 1.64 lakh crore in 2022, and Rs 89,000 crore in 2023, essential for the allotment of 4G and 5G spectrum.

In a separate statement, Sekhar presented a comparative chart of BSNL's debt as of March 31, 2024, in relation to other telecom operators. The chart indicates that BSNL's debt decreased to Rs 23,297 crore in FY24 from Rs 28,092 crore in FY23 and Rs 40,400 crore in FY22, marking the lowest debt level among its competitors.

According to the comparison, Vodafone Idea reported a debt of Rs 2.07 lakh crore, Bharti Airtel Rs 1.26 lakh crore, and Jio Infocomm Rs 52,740 crore.