DoT extends Robert Ravi’s tenure as BSNL CMD by 3 months until January 15

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on Thursday extended Robert J Ravi’s tenure as the CMD of state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) by three months until January 14, 2027, as an interim measure.

The telecom department, in an official order on Wednesday (October 14), said the extension is subject to the approval of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

In August this year, Ravi was also promoted to a rank of senior deputy director general (DDG). For the first time, on July 13, 2024, the official was given the additional charge as chairman of BSNL and MTNL.

In October 2025, the telecom department (DoT) extended his additional charge for six months.

The ACC had approved the extension of the additional charge of Robert J Ravi as the Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for six months, effective April 15, 2026.

Ravi, a 1990-batch Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer, led the state-run telco to a historic turnaround with increased operating profit and average revenue per user (ARPU).

The Centre has reposed confidence in Ravi following the BSNL turnaround strategy that led to an increase in average revenue per user to ₹110.

The state-run telco has also deployed an indigenously developed next-generation (4G) network, supplied by a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)-led consortium, at 1 lakh new sites.

Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia earlier this year said that the telco has provisionally posted around a 10% increase in revenue from operations in the first quarter of financial year 2026-27.

Scindia said, “As far as the total revenue is concerned, directly from business operations, there is about a 10 per cent increase in revenue over last year.”

“Last year, at the close of the first quarter, it was at ₹4,017 crore, and this year, it is at ₹4,418 crore, an increase of ₹401 crore.”

Scindia had said that BSNL’s enterprise business segment and consumer mobility have grown, while the consumer fixed access segment has remained almost flat.

He said, “BSNL’s average revenue per user has provisionally increased from ₹100 to ₹102.7,” adding that BSNL is on a growth trajectory.

BSNL also reported back-to-back quarterly net profits of ₹262 crore (Q3 FY25) and ₹280 crore (Q4 FY25)—a first in nearly two decades. The company reported an operating profit (EBITDA) exceeding ₹5,100 crore in FY25, with revenue growing 13% to ₹17,705 crore in the first three quarters of FY26.

The telco’s wireless subscriber base stood at 9.36 crore in August 2026, according to the latest industry data collated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).