New Delhi, March 26 State-run BSNL will add another 50,000-60,000 mobile towers to build a robust network, and the company's operating profit is expected to grow in double digits in the current fiscal, Union telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday.
Scindia said that BSNL has made its biggest capital expenditure of Rs 20,000 crore in a single year in building a 4G network, which will be upgraded to a 5G network.
"Today, 1 lakh towers of BSNL are on the ground, radiating a 4G signal on our own Atmanirbhar stack. This is the basis on which we are now looking to expand that network. So, 98,000 towers are essentially complete. We are aiming to expand that to another 50,000-60,000 towers, ensuring the robustness of that network and then quickly switching to 5G," he said at the Times Now Summit.
He said switching to 5G will not be as difficult as BSNL's network is built on a self-reliant, indigenous 4G stack, and that additional mobile sites will be needed that can be updated in the core network software.
The minister said that BSNL had 8.55 crore subscribers in June 2024, and currently has 9.27 crore subscribers.
Scindia said that BSNL posted a quarterly profit of Rs 262 crore after an 18-year gap.
"On an EBITDA basis, in 2023-2024, we made close to Rs 2,395 crores. We are now generating cash. In 2024-2025, that grew to Rs 5,100 crores. My hope is that this year, which closes next week, we should increase that operating profit to Rs 5,000 crore in fiscal 2025-26," Scindia said.