State-run telecom service provider
BSNL is overhauling its operations in a bid to become competitive in the
market, says BSNL's CMD-designate and Director-Consumer Mobility Anupam
Shrivastava. Speaking to ET, Shrivastava said that the telco is also
planning to offer high-speed 4G services through the convergence of its
wireline and wireless capabilities by March 2015. It also is in talks with
Reliance Jio to lease out its telecom towers and plans to monetise other assets
like land. Shrivastava would be taking charge of the company as its CMD on July
1, 2014. Edited excerpts:
What are BSNL's plans for providing
4G services?
2014 is going to be a transition year for BSNL, as we are overhauling our operations and upgrading our networks. We are looking at convergence of our wireless and wire-line networks to provide high speed data 4G services by March 2015. We have broadband spectrum in 16 circles. However, we are not looking at providing 4G services through spectrum route anytime soon. Once our business grows up, we would look at investing in the LTE route. We are looking at two years from now to go for LTE for providing 4G services.
2014 is going to be a transition year for BSNL, as we are overhauling our operations and upgrading our networks. We are looking at convergence of our wireless and wire-line networks to provide high speed data 4G services by March 2015. We have broadband spectrum in 16 circles. However, we are not looking at providing 4G services through spectrum route anytime soon. Once our business grows up, we would look at investing in the LTE route. We are looking at two years from now to go for LTE for providing 4G services.
BSNL is sitting on huge telecom
infrastructure. How it plans to monetise it?
We are probably the second biggest tower infrastructure provider with over 65,000 towers and looking at sharing this infrastructure with the private operators. We are in discussion with Reliance Jio Infocomm for renting out our tower infrastructure across the country. We have huge land and factory assets as well, which we are looking to utilise and monetisation. We have about 6-7 factories, which we aim to monetise through contract manufacturing.
when does BSNL expect to become profitable?We are probably the second biggest tower infrastructure provider with over 65,000 towers and looking at sharing this infrastructure with the private operators. We are in discussion with Reliance Jio Infocomm for renting out our tower infrastructure across the country. We have huge land and factory assets as well, which we are looking to utilise and monetisation. We have about 6-7 factories, which we aim to monetise through contract manufacturing.
We are already EBITDA positive. Most of the losses are coming from the depreciation of huge assets. We have prepared a plan and expect that by 2018, we should be able to overhaul the depreciation loss and be in a positive situation.