TRAI receives DoT reference, to start consultation on 4G spectrum allocation to BSNL, MTNL soon

NEW DELHI: The department of telecom (DoT) has finally sought views on the allocation of the fourth generation or 4G airwaves to the two public sector telcos— Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) from the sector regulator which is planning to start consultation process soon.

BSNL to hive off Rs 15,000 crore fibre assets into separate unit

Cash-strapped telecom player BSNL, which faced issues with salary payments last month, plans to hive off its fibre assets into a separate company, which is expected to have a valuation of Rs 10,000-15,000 crore.
BSNL has about eight lakh route km of fibre infrastructure across India compared with Reliance Jio with 4.78 lakh route km (including 178,000 route km that it acquired from Reliance Communications) and Airtel’s 2.46 lakh route km and Vodafone Idea’s 1.56 lakh km, according to estimates.

Trai to begin consultations on allotting 4G spectrum to BSNL

New Delhi: The telecom regulator will soon begin consultations on how the government should allocate 4G spectrum to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) at a time the state-run operator is struggling to pay salaries to employees.
“The department of telecommunications (DoT) sent us a reference a few days back. Now we will carry out a consultation on allocation of 4G spectrum (for BSNL)," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) chairman R.S. Sharma said on Tuesday.

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.

BSNL meet on April 4, March salary to be on time

The state-run BSNL will hold a crucial board meeting on April 4 to discuss the 2018-19 financial results, the roadmap, investments for 2019 fiscal, increasing of the ceiling limit for capex loans, sources said on Friday.
They also informed that the Public Sector Unit will its services revenues to pay March salaries on time.

BSNL rolls out Wi-Fi hotspot vouchers starting at Rs 19

State-owned telecom operator BSNL has announced new tariff vouchers which will enable users to access its Wi-Fi hotspots across all the major cities in the country. Last year, telecom minister Manoj Sinha announced that India will have around one million Wi-Fi hotspots by the end of this year. So, the new tariff vouchers from BSNL are seen as a step towards achieve that goal.

BSNL, MTNL woes: PMO convenes meeting on April 2

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has convened a meeting on April 2 to deliberate on the revival of state-run telecom firms BSNL and MTNL, which have been facing severe financial crunch with mounting losses and stagnant revenues. Both the firms failed to pay February salary on time to their around 2-lakh-strong combined workforce. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has been engaging with the firms for some time now to work out a solution.

BSNL Launches Wi-Fi Hotspot Vouchers that Offer Up to 30GB of Data at a Starting Price of Rs.19

State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is on its way to deploying Wi-Fi hotspots all across India. According to a report by TelecomTalk, BSNL is extending its hotspot footprint in India and offering the services to its subscribers. Not just BSNL, other telcos like Vodafone and Airtel. Let’s find out more about it.

7th Pay Commission: Here’s a piece of Good news for BSNL employees

7th pay commission for BSNL employees: In the new financial year, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) employees may receive a piece of good news. If the reports are to be believed then the telecom department is likely to implement the recommendations of 7th Pay Commissions, which were stamped earlier. The government employees who have been waiting and demanding eagerly for salary hike and clearance of all pending dues are likely to receive it in the new financial year.

BSNL Launches 4G Services in 25 Towns of Telangana Circle

State-run telecom operator, BSNL, has been expanding its 4G footprint across the country. Last week, the telco had announced the launch of its high-speed 4G services in 25 towns of Telangana circle. Alongside Telangana, BSNL is already providing 4G in 11 districts of Andhra Pradesh state as well. In Telangana, BSNL has launched 4G in districts like Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam,

BSNL now offers 4G services in Telangana: Report

reportedly launched its 4G services in 25 towns of Telangana circle, Telecomtalk reported.

BSNL now offers 4G services in Telangana: Report


According to a report, BSNL has launched this service in Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, and Medak.

BSNL-MTNL merger to create a financially stronger entity; employees to benefit: Frost & Sullivan

NEW DELHI: The merger of state-run PSUs BSNL and MTNL has the potential to increase the overall valuation and make the merged entity financially stronger to compete with private telcos in the country, Frost & Sullivan said in a note. It added that a successful merger will be good for everyone, including employees of both the PSUs.

"I see BSNL and MTNL merger as an inevitable outcome of this rapid transformation in the Indian telecom industry...the merger will increase the overall valuation and make the merged entity financially stronger, thereby receive a better credit term, which is an essential component of capital intensive businesses," Benoy CS, Director, Digital Transformation Practice, Frost & Sullivan said.

BSNL seeks to rent its land to other state-owned units instead of selling

 Troubled telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), which is expecting a bailout package and thinking of monetising its assets, wants to be allowed to rent its land (it has about 7,500 plots in the country with a rough valuation of Rs 70,000 crore) to other central public sector units instead of selling them.

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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.

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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.