State-driven Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has partnered with Call2Action Communication to allow advertisement-based reward program to its 100 million mobile subscribers.

The arrangement between the two would facilitate mobile marketing on state-run telcos platform. Based on MyBSNL app, text and video ads would be pushed to subscribers upon receiving their consent, and points earned would be redeemed with partner network of retailers, according to the companies.

Consumers can select his or her interest and with artificial intelligence (AI) built into it, the platform further refines consumer interests.

“The solution involves three stakeholders— telcos, brands and consumers. For service providers, it will be a new source of revenue, and that may also exceed their dwindling revenue coming from the traditional voice and data business,” Call2Action founder-director Ananda Rao said.

Call2Action is a content delivery platform that harvests telecom networks.

India’s digital marketing spend is $3 billion per annum as compared to $19 billion in the US.

Data analytics, according Rao is in streak contrast with the ‘walled garden’ of Google and Facebook, and he added that the platform can connect brands and consumers more effectively that of two Silicon Valley giants.

The executive said that every time a user installs Chrome browser, Google stores and uses consumer data.

Rao said that they are transforming MyBSNL app to include ads, and the users of other networks such as Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance Jio can also download MyBSNL app and do app-to-app conversation.

Peter Jermyn, Chairman, Talisman Telecom group said “Both Facebook and Google are massively dominant in digital advertising. We are the legitimate challenge to the Facebook and Google monopoly”.

Nearly 85% of digital marketing revenue go to Google and Facebook today.

BSNL Consumer Mobility Director RK Mittal said “This (ad platform) is a game changer. We are bullish about this product, and we are ensured that the company would not tie up with any other telecom service provider for at least a year”.

With mobile phone screen is becoming traction and becoming one of the powerful tools to drive digital marketing, BSNL is expecting gains by deploying the third-party solution.

Earlier, BSNL Chairman Anupam Shrivastava said that the state-owned telco would strategically look into new revenue streams to return to profitability.