BSNL Q2 revenue rises to ₹5,347 crore; ARPU improves 12% to ₹91

State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has achieved 93% of its revenue target for the September quarter of FY26 at ₹5,347 crore, Union Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday.

Following a quarterly performance review of the company, Scindia said BSNL’s total revenue for the first half of the current fiscal stood at ₹11,134 crore.

“This quarter we have achieved a 93% revenue run rate vis-a-vis our target. So we had set a target of ₹5,740 crore, we've achieved ₹5,347 crore. So, we are very close to a rather bold target that we had set for ourselves based on last year's jump in earnings,” the minister said.

He added that BSNL has set a target to increase its revenue by 20% for the full fiscal year to ₹27,500 crore.

Highlighting improvements in operational performance, Scindia said the company’s average revenue per user (ARPU) — a key metric for telecom operators — rose by 12% during the quarter.

“Our ARPU has increased from ₹81 in Q1 of this year to ₹91 in Q2,” Scindia said, adding that some circles such as Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh (East), Andaman & Nicobar, and Jammu & Kashmir have shown exceptional performance with ARPU as high as ₹214.

However, he expressed concern over the performance of certain circles, including Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Kolkata, where ARPU remains at around ₹60.

The minister recently announced that BSNL’s indigenously developed 4G network will be upgraded to 5G within the next six to eight months.

Speaking at the Kautilya Economic Enclave 2025, Scindia said India has joined the select group of nations that have developed their own 4G technology, a domain previously led by companies such as Huawei, ZTE, Samsung, Nokia, and Ericsson.

“Today, India has entered the club with its own 4G standard. This is India's innovation capability and enterprise. But we are not going to rest. Within the next six to eight months, we will be switching these 4G towers to 5G networks and providing end-to-end 5G network capability across the length and breadth of India,” he said.