The Daily Brief India’s biggest state telecom operator tries a comeback
Oct 13, 2025
Explore the ambitious comeback plan of India’s largest telecom operator as it navigates a complex landscape marked by a recent subscriber surge and challenges from competitors. Discover how deep-sea mining has captured global interest, despite legal and environmental hurdles. Uncover the technological challenges of mining at extreme depths and the countries positioning themselves for future exploitation. Listen in for brief tidbits on submarine cable developments and industry relaunches that keep the conversation buzzing.
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State Backing To Preserve Competition
- BSNL received massive state support and prioritised rural reach to prevent a two-player telecom market.
- The government recapitalised BSNL with three packages totalling Rs 3.22 lakh crore to stabilise competition.
Indigenous Tech As A Strategic Bet
- BSNL's revival hinges on a homegrown 4G-5G stack and a 4G saturation rollout into villages.
- Indigenous equipment is 5G-ready and can be upgraded via software, reducing future hardware costs.
Low-Price Rural Focus Limits Data Share
- BSNL stabilised subscriber losses and prioritises low-price, rural customers over high-value urban data users.
- Its mobile broadband share remains low, showing a user base skewed to low-paying segments.