o fund expansion, state-run telecom player Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd
(BSNL) plans to raise Rs 3,000 crore this year through a short-term
loan. For the loan, a 12-month one, the company had invited bids from
banks — both public sector and private lenders, a senior company
official told Business Standard
.
It has also invited proposals for launching mobile-based wallet services, in partnership with a bank and other agencies. Through this, a mobile user can pay for various services such as recharge of prepaid cards and mobile/utility bills, booking film tickets and shopping online, too. One can also transfer money.
Telecom players such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Aircel already offer mobile wallet services, through partnerships with various banks.
It is learnt BSNL is in talks with State Bank of India for starting a payments bank. This, however, couldn’t be confirmed independently.
BSNL has a huge expansion plan, with capital expenditure of Rs 39,000 crore for the next five years, of which the major chunk will go towards the data segment. The company plans to start Wi-Fi hotspots wherever is commercially viable. It will launch 4G services by 2016.
In the next two-three years, BSNL expects to double its revenue from data and broadband services to Rs 15,000-16,000 crore. Currently, it generates Rs 1,350 crore a year from the data segment and Rs 7,500 crore from broadband. Mobile services generate annual revenue of Rs 13,500 crore.
Owing to increasing competition and constraints in its capacity expansion plans, BSNL posted a loss of Rs 1,823 crore for 2009-10, the first loss since the company’s inception in 2000. For 2013-14, the loss stood at Rs 7,600 crore.
In a recent interview, Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava said the company planned to integrate its Wi-Fi with its mobile network.
“The focus is on improving core network capabilities, as we intend to exploit data, which is growing very fast. We will not miss the second bus of data. 2015 will be a watershed year for BSNL,” he had said.
.
It has also invited proposals for launching mobile-based wallet services, in partnership with a bank and other agencies. Through this, a mobile user can pay for various services such as recharge of prepaid cards and mobile/utility bills, booking film tickets and shopping online, too. One can also transfer money.
Telecom players such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Aircel already offer mobile wallet services, through partnerships with various banks.
It is learnt BSNL is in talks with State Bank of India for starting a payments bank. This, however, couldn’t be confirmed independently.
BSNL has a huge expansion plan, with capital expenditure of Rs 39,000 crore for the next five years, of which the major chunk will go towards the data segment. The company plans to start Wi-Fi hotspots wherever is commercially viable. It will launch 4G services by 2016.
In the next two-three years, BSNL expects to double its revenue from data and broadband services to Rs 15,000-16,000 crore. Currently, it generates Rs 1,350 crore a year from the data segment and Rs 7,500 crore from broadband. Mobile services generate annual revenue of Rs 13,500 crore.
Owing to increasing competition and constraints in its capacity expansion plans, BSNL posted a loss of Rs 1,823 crore for 2009-10, the first loss since the company’s inception in 2000. For 2013-14, the loss stood at Rs 7,600 crore.
In a recent interview, Chairman and Managing Director Anupam Shrivastava said the company planned to integrate its Wi-Fi with its mobile network.
“The focus is on improving core network capabilities, as we intend to exploit data, which is growing very fast. We will not miss the second bus of data. 2015 will be a watershed year for BSNL,” he had said.