Lok Sabha Question No. 405 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-24
Subject: Collapse of BSNL
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Khalilur Rahaman

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 405 TO BE ANSWERED ON 24 TH  JULY, 2024

## COLLAPSE OF BSNL

## 405 SHRI KHALILUR RAHAMAN:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether BSNL has set up more than seventy five thousand mobile towers across the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether BSNL is on the verge of collapse despite having such huge infrastructure;
- (c) whether it is true that private telecom operators have been allowed to use these towers and if so, the details of operators; and
- (d) whether private operators are paying fees to BSNL for taking services of its towers and if so, the details of revenue collected since day one of letting out to private operators, financial year-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

- (a) As on 31.03.2024, there are total 67,340 number of towers in BSNL.
- (b) BSNL is providing all types of telecom services namely telephone services on Wire-line, GSM Mobile Services including 2G, 3G, 4G & Value added Services (VAS), Internet &Broadband services including Fiber to the Home (FTTH), Wi-Fi services, Data Center Services, Enterprise Data Services, National Long Distance Services and International Long Distance Services. The mobile and landline services provided by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) are working satisfactorily and meeting most of the Quality of Service (QoS) parameters as per Performance Monitoring Report (PMR) of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

BSNL has started earning operating profits from FY 2020-21.

- (c) BSNL has leased out total 12,502 towers to private telecom operators, details of the same are as below:

| Telecom Service Provider   | No. of BSNL towers leased out (as on March, 2024)   |
|----------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| M/s RJIL                   | 8,408                                               |
| M/s Airtel                 | 2,415                                               |
| M/s Vodafone               | 1,568                                               |
| M/s Sify                   | 86                                                  |
| State Govt. Police         | 1                                                   |
| Fisheries                  | 6                                                   |
| MTNL                       | 13                                                  |
| M/s Wiwanet                | 5                                                   |
| Total                      | 12,502                                              |

## (d) Private operators pay fee to BSNL for taking services of its towers. Details of revenue earned on account of letting out of BSNL's towers are as mentioned below:

| Year    | Revenue (INR Cr.)   |
|---------|---------------------|
| 2010-11 | 30.73               |
| 2011-12 | 67.17               |
| 2012-13 | 108.41              |
| 2013-14 | 171.22              |
| 2014-15 | 224.81              |
| 2015-16 | 337.93              |
| 2016-17 | 488.26              |
| 2017-18 | 784.87              |
| 2018-19 | 997.82              |
| 2019-20 | 1,007.86            |
| 2020-21 | 999.33              |
| 2021-22 | 1,050.42            |
| 2022-23 | 1,024.29            |
| 2023-24 | 1,055.80            |
| Total   | 8,348.92            |

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