Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited
Also called: BSNL · Topic: Industrial Policy, Public Sector, MSMEs and Disinvestment · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is a government-owned telecom company under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). It is a central public sector enterprise (CPSE), meaning a government company in which the Centre holds at least 51% of the shares. BSNL provides phone, mobile and broadband services across India, and it often serves rural and remote areas that private firms find less profitable. It matters for UPSC because it shows the old public-sector story in telecom. For decades the sector was kept only for the state, and people waited a long time for a phone connection until the late 1990s. Today BSNL competes with private operators but still carries public duties such as rural broadband.
Example
Under the Amended BharatNet Program, approved by the Union Cabinet on 4 August 2023, BSNL is the single Project Management Agency. This means it is the one body that oversees the rollout across states. It must also handle operation and maintenance (O&M), the day-to-day running and repair of the network, for 10 years. The programme aims to link all 2.64 lakh Gram Panchayats through fibre laid in a ring, so a second path takes over if one line is cut.
Don't confuse with
- Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN): DBN is the funder. It is an attached office of DoT and not a company. BSNL is the PSU that builds and runs the network.
- MTNL: MTNL is a separate government telecom company that serves only Delhi and Mumbai. BSNL serves the rest of the country.