BSNL, the 'bride'

State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), which has posted losses for some years now, has suddenly become the darling of private operators. Industry insiders said it was in advanced discussions with Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio for spectrum sharing. This prompted other private telecom operators to send feelers to BSNL chairman and managing director Anupam Shrivastava requesting a fair hearing before signing up with Reliance Jio. Commenting on these developments, a senior official in the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology simply said BSNL was "an eligible bride" with many suitors.