Dhanbad, Ranchi in Jharkhand have highest 4G availability in India, Delhi and Mumbai don't fare in top 10

It has been a few years since 4G networks have been in India. After Jio's 4G VoLTE boom in 2016, the county has witnessed faster access to the Internet, resulting in growth of digital services. Presently, 4G is the mainstream network and with 5G knocking on the door, things can only get better for consumers. Research firm Opensignal recently conducted research on the availability of 4G networks and the coal town from the state of Jharkhand has come out as the city in India with the best 4G availability.

BSNL Wi-Fi Hotspot Vouchers Starting at Rs 19 Will Let You Access the Internet at Over 16,000 Public Locations

Back at the Indian Mobile Congress 2018, Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha had announced that by the end of 2019, Indian telecom operators would deploy around one million Wi-Fi hotspots and now it seems that the telcos might really be on the path of achieving this feat. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has followed on the growth path and is already armed with a massive footprint of Wi-Fi hotspot locations which are spread all across the country. Other telecom operators like Vodafone and Airtel are also slowly expanding their hotspot footprint in India and are deploying the latest technology to provide these services to the subscribers.

Why Are Some Government-Run Bodies in Financial Crisis?

PM Modi is leaving no stone unturned in promoting that he is an efficient ‘chowkidar’ (watchman) and that the previous governments were weak. He has even accused the UPA government of weakening the public institutions.
Does that mean there’s a hope for ‘achhe din’ for these institutions under the Modi government?

Well, it doesn’t seem so after looking at the state of government-run organisations like BSNL, ONGC and Air India.

Merger will improve financial health of BSNL and MTNL, say experts

A merger of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd will help the two ailing state-run telcos improve their performance and resolve existing problems, say experts.

While the merger will help the two telcos better utilise each other’s assets, it will also improve service quality, says a report prepared by consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan.

Why BSNL and MTNL Merger will be Good for All

With the aggressive entry of Jio in the Indian telecom sector, customers are having a merry time with reduced tariff and various freebies. But the telecom industry is going through a rough phase and the reduced tariff and freebies can’t continue for ever. The good part is that our fundamentals are very strong. A growing economy, young population, high data usage, digitization, untapped rural potential etc. are some of the positives for the industry from a long term perspective.

Salary scare puts BSNL revival on fast-track

The woes of ailing state-run telecom BSNL may ease by June.
Various factors are at play to bring back the public sector undertaking (PSU) to a sustainable level. Hectic discussions are underway between senior officials of Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and BSNL since the salary scare incident earlier this month when the PSU delayed the payment of dues for February to its employees.

Hughes wins satellite broadband connectivity deal from BSNL

NEW DELHI: Broadband satellite networks provider Hughes Communications India that it won a new contract from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to enable satellite broadband connectivity in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. The project addresses growing bandwidth demand in these island regions located beyond the reach of terrestrial technology.

TRAI to hold consultations on 4G spectrum allocation to BSNL, MTNL

 Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will hold a consultation on spectrum allocation with State-owned operators BSNL and MTNL soon, a senior official said.
“We have received reference from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) a couple of days back on allocation of spectrum for 4G services to BSNL and MTNL. We will issue a consultation paper and hold open house discussion on it,” RS Sharma, Chairman, TRAI told reporters on the sidelines of an event here on Tuesday.

Trai Will Make Recommendations to DoT on Allocation of 4G Spectrum to BSNL and MTNL

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) which is responsible for allocating spectrum to telecom companies is finally seeking recommendations from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), the sector regulator, regarding allocation of 4G spectrum to the two state-led telecom operators – Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).

Telecom regulator Trai to hold consultation on spectrum allocation with BSNL, MTNL: RS Sharma

Telecom regulator Trai will hold consultation on spectrum allocation with state-owned firms BSNL and MTNL soon, a top official said Tuesday. "We have received a reference from the DoT couple of days back on allocation of spectrum for 4G services to BSNL and MTNL. We will issue a consultation paper and hold open house discussion on it," Trai Chairman R S Sharma told reporters on sidelines of an ICEA event.

Telecom Towers Market Insights , Analysis and Forecast to 2024 | Top Key Players Reliance Infotel ,BSNL ,American Tower Company , Viom Networks

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Amazon Prime ties up with BSNL for carrier billing

BSNL subscribers can now pay for Amazon Prime memberships with their mobile bill or pre-paid balance as part of a carrier billing deal between the two companies, reports TelecomAsia. BSNL’s carrier billing deal is backed by mobile technology company Trident’s Bundling Platform. Carrier billing is a payment mechanism in which users can pay for goods and services through their prepaid phone balance or their monthly phone bill. This is important in India, where most mobile users don’t have credit cards and debit card use is low.

BSNL-MTNL merger likely to solve their problems, say telecom experts

Merging the two ailing state-run telcos — Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd — can solve their problems, say experts. MTNL’s merger with BSNL means the former will be able to expand operations in India on the basis of network utilisation.

Telecom Department Asks States Not To Disconnect BSNL, MTNL Electricity Connections

The Department of Telecom has asked state governments not to disconnect electricity connections of state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd. on account of pending dues as they are providing strategic services for the upcoming elections, sources said.

BSNL has already cleared 90 percent of its power dues and is expected to clear the rest in the next 15-20 days.

Under Modi, BSNL flouting Vajpayee-era cabinet order in transferring over 7,000 properties from DoT

A legal opinion given by a Kerala-based lawyer in 2013 is being cited by the management of state-run telecom giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) as it carries out the “illegal mutation” of approx Rs 3 lakh crores of Department of Telecom (DoT)’s properties in BSNL’s name, internal documents accessed by National Herald have revealed.

Telecom subscriber base crosses 120 crore, Jio, BSNL, Airtel add customers

The country's telecom subscriber base for the third time crossed 120-crore mark with Reliance Jio, BSNL and Airtel adding new customers in January, according to a report released by telecom regulator Trai.

"The number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 1,197.87 million at the end of December 2018 to 1,203.77 million at the end of January 2019, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.49 per cent," the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said in monthly subscriber report for January 2019.

BSNL Removes Daily Data Limit on Broadband Plans of Rs 777 and Rs 1,277

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), in its consumer-centric move, had revised many of its broadband plans along with its prepaid recharge plans to attract more subscribers and to keep its existing subscriber base intact. In its previous revision back in February, BSNL had converted some of its broadband plans into plans with daily data limits. Among the plans which were revised were the Rs 2,499 broadband plan which had started offering 40GB daily data limit. Some of the other FTTH plans which had undergone revision were Rs 777, Rs 1,277, Rs 3,999, Rs 5,999, Rs 9,999 and Rs 16,999. Now in its latest move, BSNL has yet again revised some of its plans from the packs as mentioned earlier to offer data without any daily limit. The subscribers will appreciate the move as now they get to access data without any speed throttle.

From Navratna to sick PSU: A look at the decline of BSNL

The state-owned telecom firm BSNL has landed in a difficult situation, with things turning topsy-turvy for them. The entry of Reliance Jio continues to have an effect on the telecom industry with the sector in the doldrums and has caused BSNL to enter in troubled waters.

BSNL, MTNL may leverage assets in their turnaround plan

NEW DELHI: Ten years ago, when the country was embracing 3G, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) led the technological push. Now, as 3G slowly turns obsolete, clouds have also formed over the two public sector entities.

DoT refers BSNL 4G spectrum to TRAI under pressure

The Department of Telecom has sent a communication to the sector regulator TRAI seeking its views on the possibility of giving 4G spectrum to BSNL outside auction under a preferential equity infusion route.

This is being done in view of the Supreme Court earlier judgement that all natural resources be sold through auction only. The regulator will now examine whether government controlled entities could be exception to the rule set by the apex court.

BSNL to approach NCLT for recovering dues worth Rs 700 crore from RCom

State-owned telecom firm BSNL will approach National Company Law Tribunal this week to recover dues of about Rs 700 crore from Reliance Communications, according to official sources.
Earlier, debt-ridden RCom in its plea before the NCLAT said that it wants to voluntarily go back into the insolvency process, as it will help to sell its assets in a time-bound manner.

BSNL employees get February salary but their woes aren’t over, blame Modi govt for cash crunch

New Delhi: The employees of government-owned telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) have now started to receive their February salary dues after a delay of a couple of weeks, but issues at the cash-strapped player are far from over.

BSNL, HAL, Air India: Has The Modi Govt Pushed PSUs Into More Trouble?

After news broke that government-owned telecom firms Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) had defaulted on paying their employees’ salaries for the month of February, an image began circulating on social media pages and WhatsApp groups.
It was merely a collage of headlines from various news reports about cash-strapped PSUs defaulting on or delaying their employees’ salaries in various months, juxtaposed with a headline from an NDTV story about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spending more than Rs 122 crore to contest the Karnataka assembly elections last year.

Free BSNL broadband service now available for all BSNL landline subscribers along with 5GB data per month

If you have a BSNL landline connection and have been looking forward to a broadband Internet connection, then there's good news for you. BSNL is offering its broadband service for free to existing BSNL landline connection subscribers along with some data benefits. The offer stands for all the circles where BSNL is present and all one has to do is call BSNL's toll-free number to avail the benefit.

MSEDCL restores power supply to BSNL exchanges on CM’s direction

The state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) on Thursday informed that the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) has restored electricity supply to all its 15 telephone exchange centres and mobile towers in the district following intervention by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

From declining revenues to increasing debt: How BSNL lost its stature as 'Navratna' PSU

Once-a-Navratna-PSU, BSNL missed paying its employees their February 2019 salaries on time. As on November 30, 2018, the employee strength of the company stood at 1.72 lakhs with an executive staff strength of 28 per cent and non-executive staffs making up the rest, 72 per cent.

Salary woes at BSNL, MTNL may end soon — Here's why

The government has released pending dues of Rs 171 crore to cash-strapped MTNL for paying February salaries to employees, a senior official said. On the other hand, BSNL will clear salary dues of around Rs 850 crore by March 20 from its internal accruals.

BSNL Salary Issue: Govt. Says Every Employee Will Get Salary Before Holi; Releases Rs 171 Crore

This is the darkest phase for employees of state-run telecom carrier BSNL, as they haven’t received their salary for February yet. In some cases, employees have not received the wages for last 6 months, and things are gloomy.

DoT mulls Rs 13,000 crore bailout package for debt-ridden BSNL

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is considering a Rs 13,000-crore bailout plan for state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), which is struggling to stay afloat amid a precarious debt situation. The proposal includes a voluntary retirement package of Rs 6,365 crore and an equity infusion of Rs 6,767 crore towards the allotment of 4G spectrum.

BSNL extends 25 per cent cashback offer till March 31, here's how to avail it

This is the season of cashbacks. After Airtel and Jio that recently announced cashback offers for their customers, now BSNL has joined the bandwagon to offer 25 per cent cashback to customers. The company in December had launched the 25 per cent cashback offer with December 31 being the last date to avail the plan. But that didn't happen and the plan can now be availed till March 31.

Top DoT, BSNL officials involved in illegally transferring govt assets worth thousands of crores

Massive financial irregularities are allegedly being committed in transferring the land and building assets of Department of Telecom (DoT) to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), an ongoing “mutation” process involving over 7,000 properties all over the country and whose net worth is pegged at between ₹2-3 lakh crore, by the most conservative estimates.

BSNL is giving 25% cashback to these customers

NEW DELHI: State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has extended the 25% cashback offer on its annual plans till March 31. This was announced in a tweet via its official BSNL Corporate Twitter account. This offer is valid for BSNL Broadband customers.

BSNL Rs 777, Rs 1,277 FTTH broadband plans offer up to 750GB data, unlimited calls and more

A few months BSNL launched two promotional FTTH broadband plans for its new and existing subscribers. While the plans were for limited period of 90 days, the benefits are still applicable and users can get up to 750GB monthly data, and much more. The two plans in question here are priced at Rs 777 and Rs 1,277 per month.

BSNL Rs. 666 Prepaid Recharge Revised to Offer 122 Days Validity, 1.5GB Daily Data Benefits, Unlimited Voice Calls

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has revised the Rs. 666 prepaid recharge plan with unlimited voice calling benefits and 1.5GB data per day for 122 days. There are also 100 SMS messages per day throughout the given validity period. Previously, the same Rs. 666 BSNL prepaid recharge plan was provided with a validity of 129 days. The Rs. 666 prepaid recharge plan, dubbed the 'Sixer 666', was launched by the state-owned telecom operator following the Rs. 333 and Rs. 444 prepaid plans back in June 2017.

No takers for ‘Gujarat Model’ VRS in MTNL, BSNL; employees want funds to be used for 4G instead

Employees and employee unions from MTNL and BSNL have labelled the Modi government's proposal of Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) to ageing employees of the two PSUs as the first step towards the "disinvestment" of the only state-run telecom operators.

Government plans Rs 8,500 crore voluntary retirement schemes for MTNL, BSNL

NEW DELHI: This could be one of the biggest voluntary retirement schemes (VRS) and early pension scheme offered in the country. The government is planning a near Rs 8,500-crore support scheme for BSNL and MTNL to reduce the large pool of their ageing manpower and infuse fresh life into these ailing telecom PSUs, which are under debt and heavy losses.

Official sources said the two PSUs — despite being seen as a burden on the exchequer — are “strategic assets” in a sector where “government presence is desirable”.

DoT commission seeks revenue assurance from BSNL, MTNL for revival support

The Digital Communications Commission (DCC) on February 21 asked loss-making telecom PSUs BSNL and MTNL to explain their turnaround strategy and give an assurance to achieve higher revenue for getting financial support, an official said.
Public sector firms BSNL and MTNL have sought financial support, 4G spectrum and approvals for asset sales as part of their revival plans.

DoT for 10-year bond to fund BSNL, MTNL VRS, land leasing to trim debt

The Digital Communications Commission, an inter-ministerial panel of DoT, on Thursday discussed the revival proposals of two of its struggling PSUs - BSNL and MTNL - where the department proposed issue of 10-year bonds to fund their VRS plans and that their huge land assets be monetised through leasing to reduce their rising debts.

BSNL announces Rs 298 prepaid plan to take on Reliance Jio, Vodafone and Airtel

BSNL, the state-owned telecom operator, is once again challenging the incumbent players and Reliance Jio in India’s competitive telecom space. The company has launched a new prepaid plan priced at Rs 298 offering both calling and data benefits. The plan will challenge a prepaid pack from Reliance Jio, which is priced at Rs 297. The new plan from BSNL is part of an ongoing effort to retain subscribers and stay competitive in the market. The operator also recently revised its postpaid plans and extended free daily data offer till April 30 to attract more customers.

Govt creating hurdles for BSNL growth, say employees

Aurangabad: Employees, who joined the three-day national strike, said that the government was creating innumerable hurdles in each and every business proposal of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, practically interfering with the day-to-day affairs of the company.

BSNL clarifies to DoT over Niti Aayog’s ‘apprehensions’ on 4G-based services

NEW DELHI: State-controlled telecom service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has clarified to the department of telecom (DoT) on ‘apprehensions’ raised by the national policy think tank Niti Aayog, on raising preferential equity infusion for the rollout of much-awaited fourth-generation or 4G technology-based services.

Modi government not sincere to resolve BSNL problem, delaying decision to benefit private telco: AUAB

New Delhi: A BSNL employee union on Monday charged the government of not making sincere attempts to resolve problems faced by the PSU to benefit a rival telecom firm, while workers went on a three-day strike to press for their demands. The union levelled charges a day after the telecom department announced that it was engaging with the BSNL management and representatives of the unions and associations to support their reasonable demands.

4G spectrum remains elusive for BSNL

After much delay, Bharat Sanghar Nigam Limited (BSNL) had announced the launch of 4G services in select areas in the State late last year. But employees’ unions, which went on a three-day strike on Monday, maintain that this launch was an eyewash as the 4G services are being provided by making certain technical upgrades in the 2,100 MHz spectrum, which was being used for 3G.
In fact, one of the major demands of the strike called by the All Unions and Associations of BSNL, a collective of various employees’ unions, is the allotment of 4G spectrum.

BSNL offers Eros Now subscription along with 1GB data benefit at Rs 298 to subscribers

State-owned telecom operator BSNL has launched a new prepaid plan to combat its rivals. The company has launched a new Rs 298 recharge plan that offers content offering along with other telecom benefits.

DoT seeks to assures BSNL staff on 4G ahead of strike

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will soon seek the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) views on administrative allocation, quantum, price and appropriate frequency band for allotting 4G spectrum to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).

BSNL Revises Rs 98 Prepaid Plan, Now Offers 2GB Daily Data and Eros Now Subscription

After reducing the validity of two voice-only prepaid plans of Rs 99 and Rs 319, BSNL has now revised its Rs 98 data-only prepaid STV which is valid across the country. Well, this revision has both good and bad moves from BSNL as the telco has increased the data benefit, and at the same time reduced the validity of the plan by two days. Furthermore, the Rs 98 Data STV now comes with Eros Now subscription for 28 days.

BSNL starts survey for mobile towers deployment along India-China border

Guwahati: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has started a survey for installing mobile towers along the highly sensitive India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh.

The installation of mobile towers is expected to better the connectivity in the area.

BSNL Says No Proposal for Closure is in Consideration, DoT is Drafting Revival Package

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has issued a formal statement saying that contrary to the ideas of closure which are being extensively talked about, there has been no severe emphasis on the idea of a closure of the company unlike the people would have it believe. BSNL said that the situation is quite the opposite as DoT would like to see a more strengthened and robust BSNL. The government led telecom operator also emphasised the fact that there are some areas where the company is better than the private telecom operators and these are the PSU’s strength in the market. BSNL said that one of these areas is the extensive remote and rural connectivity.

Government hastens state-owned telco BSNL's revival

The department of telecom (DoT) is seriously considering the revival of public sector telecom service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), it said in a statement Thursday.

Country's fourth-largest telecom service provider's statement has come following an unconfirmed report saying the government was looking at options including shutting down the telco.

Can BSNL Be Shut Down? Losses Mount And Operator Mulls Idea of Reducing Workforce by 54,000

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), a public sector company and one of the largest telecom firms in India, is not profitable. After meeting with top BSNL officials, the govt asked the telco to present a comparative analysis of all options available including shutting down in case of no revival plan in place.

BSNL offers Free Amazon Prime subscription with all FTTH broadband plans

Just days after revising its monthly broadband plans to offer daily data benefits, BSNL has now announced that it’s offering a free one-year Amazon Prime subscription for its FTTH broadband users in India. The offer was previously available for non-FTTH users of broadband since October last year but from today onwards, it makes its way to FTTH Broadband users as well.