NEW DELHI, April 30 -- Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has set an ambitious target of increasing its average revenue per user (Arpu) by almost 50% to Rs.150 in the current fiscal year. This after a recent annual review flagged concerns "regarding the stagnation of core business revenue" of the state-owned telecom operator, according to the meeting document seen by Mint.

The target was set at a review meeting of BSNL with communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on 23 April. It assumes significance as the Arpu of Reliance Jio, the largest telecom operator by market share, grew 4% YoY in the March quarter and was little changed sequentially in the absence of tariff hikes.

BSNL's Arpu, a key telecom metric that reflects the average mon...