There has been a change from ABC (Astrology, Bollywood, Cricket) to more utility-based VAS

Interview with R K Upadhyay, chairman and managing director, BSNL

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That Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) has the maximum reach in India is known to all – from the inaccessible Siachen glacier to remote villages and hamlets. With a turnover of Rs 29,700 crore, this public-sector telecom company is aggressively pursuing the cause of including newer services and improve its deliverables in all area. “BSNL is also strengthening its web-based tools, apps-based facilities and multiple type of access channels to view, use and pay at anytime, anywhere,” says R K Upadhyay, chairman and managing director, BSNL, in an interview.
 
Telecom companies in India are aggressively vying for market share and customer’s attention when it comes to more value-for-money options value, services and incentives. In your opinion, how is this impacting the telecom industry?

Yes, there is a lot of aggression among telecom companies to offer value-for-money products and services to their customers. This is good for customers. The telecom industry has been striving hard to sustain operations and the price war may not be there for voice, as tariffs have already reached rock-bottom. However, there is scope for further reduction in data tariffs. Telcos are expected to look at significant change in priorities relating to product offerings, better data services and factual promotions with a keen focus on customer care. Aggression is likely to be better for all stakeholders.
 
BSNL just announced its roaming plans with free roaming calls. How does the company plan to benefit from it?

BSNL has announced a Special Tariff Voucher (STV) of Rs 5 with one day validity and an STV of Rs 69 with 30-day validity, both having unlimited incoming calls free and at 1.5 paisa a second for outgoing local and national calls. Regular pre-paid and post-paid plans also have attractive tariff plans for free roaming and are the most competitive and are being liked by a majority of our customers. By virtue of BSNL having a far wider reach and adequate coverage, additional customers are likely to choose BSNL over their current service provider and, hence, these plans are likely to improve BSNL's market share.

 

What are some of the challenges and opportunities that you see in the next couple of years in the telecom industry?
The major challenge is the fast mortality of technology. The degree of innovation, especially in data services, is unbelievable. Operators will have to upgrade and expand their networks keeping their return on investment in mind.
On the other hand, there are immense opportunities as well, because the entire eco-system is getting developed with wider pipes, end-user devices and useful content and applications. There may not be significant increase in voice traffic but there will be an exponential growth in data traffic. Accordingly, the telecom industry will see better days in the next couple of years.

 
There is a lot of emphasis being given to VAS (value-added services) where mobile telephony is concerned. What is BSNL doing in this regard?
VAS is an extremely segment as of now. With better data speeds and an increase in smart devices, content providers, content aggregators and applications developers in India have already started gearing up for the challenge. There were millions of Apps available but most of them lacked a customisation to Indian environment. However, we have now started seeing a lot of focus on M-Governance, M-Wallet, M-Health. There has also been a change from ABC (Astrology, Bollywood, Cricket) to more utility-based VAS.

BSNL has gone one step ahead to encourage VAS providers by announcing open and transparent policies, available on BSNL website, to attract them and work on a win-win situation, keeping customer's interest as top priority.
 
What is the company doing to improve its customer service, an aspect that has always been the pet peeve of people who patronise BSNL?
BSNL has been able to bring in significant changes in the mindset of its human resource when it comes to customer care. Better means of customer service are likely to be implemented in near future. Payment of bills is being enabled through franchisee and retailers to facilitate customers and make it in the nearest point of sale, at their convenience. Apart from conventional practices, major focus will now be on self-care. BSNL is strengthening various web-based tools, mobile apps-based facilities and also multiple types of access channels to view, taste, use and pay anytime, anywhere. Trust and transparency remain our top priorities.