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), the state-run telecom operator, needs to go aggressive with its fiber broadband business. Airtel replaced BSNL as the second-largest wired broadband operator in December 2021. In November, it was Jio who took BSNL’s first position.
So, in a span of two months, BSNL fell down from the first position to the third position. The state-run telco had long enjoyed the attention in the wired broadband segment when the private telcos were majorly focusing on the wireless services market.
But now, both Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are claiming the market and subscribers BSNL had accumulated over the years.
BSNL Can’t Invest in Fiber Infra as Fast as Jio, Airtel
BSNL doesn’t have the money or other means to invest in its fiber infrastructure the way Jio and Airtel can, said an industry expert. It is worth noting that BSNL actually offers a cheaper entry-level broadband plan than Airtel, but the telco is unable to compete regardless of that.
Airtel and Jio have the money to invest and reach out to more cities and rural areas of the country faster than what BSNL could manage. Further, the brand position both the private telcos have is much better compared to BSNL’s.
BSNL is not an unknown name in the wired-broadband space. Some people consider the company’s services better than what the private telcos offer. BSNL’s high-end broadband plans also offer Disney+ Hotstar Premium subscription benefits which none of the other internet service providers (ISPs) does.