Indian state-owned telecom BSNL is reportedly set to lease its extensive land assets to data center operators and renewable energy companies, aiming to revitalize its telecom business.
BSNL Chairman Robert K Ravi stated that the company is exploring various options to monetize property assets across India, including telephone exchanges and office facilities, either by leasing or selling them.
The report claims that BSNL is already in discussions with major tech firms such as Google and Microsoft to establish mobile edge computing centers on its properties. While Ravi did not confirm specific details, he did mention ongoing discussions with data storage companies and renewable energy providers in wind and solar sectors, who supply power to state governments.
India, like several Asia-Pacific countries, is responding to growing demand for data centers to support cloud services and hyperscale workloads, including AI. Real estate consultancy CBRE estimates the Indian data center market could more than double from $4.35 billion in 2021 to over $10 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of 15.07% between 2022 and 2027. Cushman & Wakefield reports that data center capacity in India’s top seven cities currently stands at 977 MW and is projected to reach 3.29 GW by 2028 due to ongoing and new projects.
BSNL’s broader transformation strategy includes new service rollouts, such as spam blockers, automated SIM kiosks, direct-to-device services, and a refreshed brand logo. However, the company’s most awaited milestone is the launch of its delayed 4G network, currently under testing. Ravi shared that BSNL has installed 40,000 of the planned 100,000 4G towers, aiming for full deployment by April 2025.
