Support Telecomtalk
Highlights
- Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), a state-run telecom operator in India, has failed to find a new CMD (Chairman and Managing Director).
- The telco has been eyeing a new CMD and taking interviews for the same.
- Robert J Ravi was brought in as the CMD as an interim measure when PK Purwar stepped down.
Andrew Bonwick
Vice President of Product Development at Relm Insurance
Madhav Sheth
CEO of Ai+ Smartphone
Stephen Rose
CEO Render Networks
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), a state-run telecom operator in India, has failed to find a new CMD (Chairman and Managing Director). The telco has been eyeing a new CMD and taking interviews for the same. Robert J Ravi was brought in as the CMD as an interim measure when PK Purwar stepped down. Now, in an official order, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has confirmed that Robert J Ravi’s tensure as the BSNL CMD has been extended by 3 more months. The last date has been mentioned as January 14, 2027. The official order was released by the telecom department on October 14, 2026.
- Make Telecom Talk My Trusted Source
The order, however, is subject to the approval from Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). Earlier in August 2026, Ravi was also promoted to the rank of senior deputy director general (DDG). For the first time, Ravi was given the charge of BSNL on July 13, 2024. Since October 2025, the government has been extending the stay of Ravi as BSNL CMD.
The reason is that there is no suitable candidate who has been found or identified who will lead the state-run telecom operator to glory yet. Under Ravi, BSNL has indeed turned things around to a certain degree. The telco has not only added users, but has also increased its average revenue per user (ARPU) to Rs 102. Now, in the short-term, BSNL is further looking to increase the ARPU to Rs 150.
Alongside this, BSNL has been able to commission over 1 lakh sites running Indian 4G technology. Jyotiraditya Scindia, the union telecom minister of India, said, “As far as the total revenue is concerned, directly from business operations, there is about a 10 per cent increase in revenue over last year. Last year, at the close of the first quarter, it was at Rs 4,017 crore, and this year, it is at Rs 4,418 crore, an increase of Rs 401 crore.”
