News Broadcasting
Telecom company Gailtel sales increase 75 %
MUMBAI: Gailtel the telecommunication service wing of gas company Gail has announced that its sales have increased to Rs 200.50 million in 2003-04 from Rs 110.71 million in the previous fiscal.
This means an increase of 75 per cent. Gailtel claims to have emerged as the largest IP-II operator in India, with a bandwidth sales increase from 482 Mbps in 2002-03 to 1230 Mbps in 2003-4. Major service providers like Hutch, Escotel, Tata Teleservices, Data Access, Bharti Infotel, STPI and VSNL are among its customers.
The Gailtel service claims to have maintained a consistent 99.7 per cent availability. Following an in-depth study, leading management consultancy firm Mckinsey has recommended an expansion strategy and suggested a service and network expansion model for the company.
Gailtel will also create an Internet Protocol Multi Protocol Label Switching (IP-MPLS) network connecting 10 cities in the country. Gail plans to expand its network to the south and create intra city networks through a selective build-and-buy process.
The network will be expanded on a marginal cost basis along the proposed National Gas Grid and City Gas networks. As part of this project, Gailtel will create an overall network stretching 20,000 km along trunk routes and another 20,000 Km. of city networks. Since a major part of Gailtel’s network shall be along pipelines, the company would be able to provide a whole range of broadband services at a substantially lower cost than competitors.
Going forward, Gailtel is looking to forge strategic alliances / partnerships to strengthen its market presence. It is also exploring possibilities of tying up with broadband service providers for a long-term network lease contract. The company plans to utilise the pipelines laid for its city gas distribution projects across the country, for laying optical fibre cables.
Gailtel will continue operating as a telecom infrastructure provider. It is also nurturing plans to set up data centres and bandwidth exchanges.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
