Despite Lack of 4G Services, BSNL's Subscriber Share Has Gone Up

Despite having no 4G services, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's subscribers share hasn't been affected, rather between 2016-17 and 2020-21 it has risen.

Though the lack of 4G services with State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has impacted its revenue, at the same time its subscribers share has not been affected. Rather, between 2016-17 and 2020-21 it rose from 8.6 per cent to 10.03 per cent. According to official sources, with spectrum usage depending largely on data consumption, the growing competition in the telecom sector has led to reduction in tariffs. However as there are no 4G services available under the BSNL bouquet, its average revenue per user or ARPU as it is known, has been impacted. Despite the absence of a significant service in its bouquet of offers, the State-owned telecom service provider has seen a growth in its subscribers' share consistently in the past four years. In 2016-17, BSNL's subscriber share was 8.6 per cent, which significantly went up to 9.4 per cent in 2017-18. By the end of 2018-19, it had again grown and reached 9.9 per cent and in 2019-20 it had crossed the 10 per cent, to touch 10.3 per cent.