No tariff hike on cards, want to retain existing customers: BSNL CMD

State-run telco launches anti-spam network, direct to device satcom, intranet TV services, and a new logo

BSNL will not raise tariffs in the near future as its prime interest is to retain customers and win their confidence, Robert J Ravi, Chairman and Managing Director (MD) of the telecom operator said on Tuesday.

India’s three largest private sector telecom operators, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, had raised tariffs in the first week of July this year. But BSNL, the fourth largest player, did not. And due to this, BSNL -- which has been losing subscribers for nearly two years running -- added 2.9 million users in July.

BSNL MD Ravi, who launched seven new services and a new logo of the operator, said, “We don’t see any need for tariff hikes in the near future.” Ravi said the telco is aiming to retain existing customers and defend its market share.

Rough road ahead

However, analysts have warned that the subscriber gains may be reversed in the next few months, and BSNL is unlikely to pose risks to the market share trajectory of Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio in the medium term.

BSNL’s market share was 7.59 per cent at July-end. This is much lower than market leader Jio, which has a 40.68 per cent share, while Airtel and Vi have 33.12 per cent and 18.46 per cent respectively.

The revamp

On Tuesday, BSNL launched an anti-spam solution developed in-house, the first-ever direct to device satellite communication services for emergencies and a fiber-based intranet TV service which will offer 500-plus live channels and pay TV through its Fiber to the Home (FTTH) network.

On the occasion of its launch of a new logo, BSNL also announced the first of its kind seamless Wi-Fi roaming services for its FTTH customers, apart from a captive 5G service in coal mines,

The operator becomes the second telco in India after Airtel, to launch an anti-spam solution.

“The move is bolstered by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) advanced system designed to identify and block incoming international spoofed calls before they can reach Indian telecom subscribers which is currently stopping 1.3 crore such calls on a daily basis,” Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on the occasion.

4G launch

Scindia reiterated the government’s target of introducing 10 million BSNL 4G sites by mid-next year, of which 38,000 have been fiberised.

“In the last 6-months, since the beginning of the 4G rollout, we have gone from 75 lakh subscribers to 1.8 crore subscribers. That is 2.5 times growth in a matter of 6 months,” Scindia said on the occasion.

Data in 4G traffic has increased seven-fold, the Minister added.

BSNL officials had earlier insisted the latest deadline of December 2024 could be met as operational challenges were being quickly cleared.

Business Standard had reported in July, the telco had completed installation of 4G sites in all 4-metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Sites are also active in most of the state capitals including Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Raipur, and Chandigarh, BSNL officials had said.