BSNL, the government telecom company, is undergoing changes, including the appointment of Robert Ravi as the new Chairman and Managing Director (CMD). He has been tasked with helping BSNL recover and succeed. Let’s learn more about Robert Ravi and his significant new role.
Robert Ravi took charge as BSNL’s Chairman and Managing Director on July 15, 2024. He is the youngest person to hold this position and has 34 years of experience. He served as Additional General Manager of BSNL for six years and was recently appointed Deputy Director General of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Additionally, he has advised on consumer affairs and service quality at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Robert Ravi graduated with an engineering degree from Pondicherry University, where he earned a gold medal.
Ravi has made significant contributions to the telecom sector. He has worked to improve service standards and quality and has helped regulate and grow value-added services.
Robert Ravi created an integrated communication network project (FTTN, WiFi, WLAN, VoIP) for Pondicherry University. He also designed and successfully implemented the PSWAN project for the Pondicherry government.
Ravi has been appointed CMD of BSNL while the company is facing a loss of around Rs 1,569 crore. His challenge is to make BSNL profitable, which will require reducing expenses. This might explain why MTNL is being shut down as an independent business and merged with BSNL.
BSNL To compete with Jio and Airtel
After lagging behind Jio and Airtel, BSNL is getting back on track and preparing to compete with them again. The central government is taking steps to support this, including giving responsibilities to young leaders and consolidating the business operations.