Cabinet may take up capital infusion in BSNL, MTNL in September

 New Delhi: After PSU banks, the government is likely to infuse capital in two chronically ill telecom PSUs BSNL and MTNL, and the Union Cabinet is likely to take a decision on 4G spectrum allocation to them by the third week of the current month after DoT places the note before it for consideration.

80,000 BSNL Employees Will Be Asked To Resign; Employees Protest As August Salary Not Credited

80,000 BSNL Employees Will Be Asked To Resign; Employees Protest As August Salary Not Credited

State-run telecom carrier has now confirmed that 50% of the employees will be asked to leave, and the process shortly begin.

BSNL likely to issue bonds for financing VRS

The state-run telecom services provider, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is likely to issue bonds guaranteed against its huge assets base to finance the voluntary retirement scheme. It, however, doesn't see the proposal of reduction in the retirement age going through.

BSNL which is yet to pay August salaries wants to give an attractive retirement package to 80,000 employees

State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) is looking to cut its headcount by 80,000 employees by offering an attractive Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS).

The debt-ridden telecom company which is looking to reduce its operational costs, is awaiting government response to its scheme. Once approved, the operator will cut the headcount to half of its existing workforce in India, Pravin Kumar Purwar, Chairman of BSNL told ET.

BSNL to cut it workforce by half on voluntary basis after govt's approval

Cash-strapped Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is monetising land assets to improve revenue while cutting operational costs in the absence of revival package from the government, according to chairman Pravin Kumar Purwar. The telco requires 4G airwaves to stay competitive, and is looking at cutting its workforce by nearly half once the Centre approves its much-awaited voluntary retirement scheme, Purwar told ET in an interview. Edited excerpts:

BSNL offering 10GB daily data on these plans

State-owned telecom operator BSNL has increased the internet data limit of its Rs 96 and 236 STV 4G prepaid plans. BSNL 4G subscribers with these plans will get 10GB data on a daily basis.
The Rs 96 STV plan by BSNL will be valid for 28 days which means a total of 280GB of data will be the user’s with 10GB daily data limit. The STV plan applies to users in Maharashtra circle with regions like Akola, Bhandara, Beed, Jalna, Osmanabad and other nearby regions, as per a report by TelecomTalk.

22 BSNL prepaid plans now have 250 minutes per day voice call FUP limit: Check details

BSNL has reportedly capped voice call minutes in for 22 of its unlimited combo prepaid plans starting August 19. As per TelecomTalk report, the state run telecom operator has implemented voice calling cap at 250 minutes per day. Initially, it was believed that only long-validity combo plans would be affected from this, but apparently all the plans with ‘Unlimited offering will get 250 minutes calling limit from now on.

BSNL now offers free Amazon Prime to all annual broadband plans starting Rs 399

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will now provide free Amazon Prime subscription worth Rs 999, if you pay annually for your broadband plans priced over Rs 399. The state run telecom operator officially announced that its annual broadband plans starting Rs 399 and above will offer free Amazon Prime membership to all users, reports TelecomTalk. The move comes just before Reliance JioFiber commercial launch.

BSNL, MTNL revival: PMO allows 4G airwaves, VRS; Cabinet nod imminent

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has in-principle agreed to the allocation of fourth-generation or 4G airwaves to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) in an effort to revive the two cash-strapped public-owned telcos.

HFCL bags Rs 3,329 cr order from BSNL, stock surges 5%

New Delhi, Himachal Futuristic Communications Ltd (HFCL) on Tuesday said it has bagged Rs 2,467 crore order, its largest purchase order so far, for a turnkey project from public sector telecom service provider BSNL.

BSNL now offers 375GB data without any daily limits with this prepaid plan: Price and validity are surprising

Ever since BSNL has found itself in financial woes, the state-owned telecom operator has been constantly trying to come up with aggressive to challenge the quite competitive private sector telecom players. We have recently seen a lot aggressively priced plans from BSNL offering more benefits than before. However, BSNL has been revising the validity and free data limits lately. And the latest plan that gets the same treatment is the long-term Rs 1,098 plan.

BSNL Rs 1,199 family combo plan remains unique even after Reliance JioFiber announcement

BSNL is expected to face the biggest pressure in home broadband segment when Reliance JioFiber becomes available in September. The Mukesh Ambani-led company has announced that commercial roll out of JioFiber will begin from September 5, 2019. The service will be available at a starting price of Rs 700 and will go all the way up to Rs 10,000 per month.

Jio Fiber effect: BSNL launches Rs 1,199 family plan with broadband, mobile benefits

In the aftermath of Reliance Jio announcing its Jio Fibre rollout on September 5, state-run operator BSNL is now launching its own bundled plan with broadband and mobile benefits. The operator is now hosting a dedicated webpage on its portal for its “BBG Combo ULD Family 1199” plan.

Seek independent auditors' service to assess BSNL's land assets value: AIGETOA to Prasad

New Delhi: AIGETOA, an association comprising engineers and account professionals at BSNL, has asked the government to engage independent auditors to assess the value of land assets of the state-run firm to be transferred to a special purpose vehicle for sale. In a letter to telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, the All India Graduate Engineers and Telecom Officers Association (AIGETOA) has said that it is must for the government to alleviate apprehensions associated with the proposed land monetisation policy.

Nokia may withdraw support to BSNL over payment dues

NEW DELHI: Nokia may withdraw network operations and maintenance services provided to cash-strapped state-run telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) due to non-payment of dues of about Rs 800 crore, an executive at the Finnish company said.

Vendors may abandon BSNL network due to nonpayment; 2G, 3G services to hit

NEW DELHI: Telecom gear suppliers particularly Nokia may pullback network operations and maintenance services being provided to cash-strapped Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) due to nonpayment of dues, according to the industry sources.

BSNL Rs 1,699 long-term prepaid plan now comes with increased validity of 455 days

State-run telco, BSNL, has revised one of its long-term prepaid plans. The company is now offering increased validity, which will surely be appreciated by the customers. The Rs 1,699 prepaid recharge plan is one of the popular offering aimed at users looking for a long-term recharge. The plan used to offer a validity of 365 days. Now, you get a little extra.

BSNL Reduces SIM Replacement Cost by 50 Percent for a Limited Period, Now at Rs. 50

State-owned BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) has now reduced its prices for replacement or changing of a BSNL SIM card. The company has now reportedly slashed the price by 50 percent, and now users will have to shell out Rs. 50 for the service. Earlier this year, the company increased the SIM replacement charges for both prepaid and postpaid subscribers to Rs. 100. Now, it has reduced it once again to ease customer woes. This comes right after BSNL was reported to be imposing a daily calling cap of 250 minutes per day on Rs. 186, Rs. 429, Rs. 666, and Rs. 1,699 prepaid recharge plans.

BSNL to take up cost cutting exercises as it faces ₹800-cr revenue-expense gap

NEW DELHI : Cash-strapped BSNL has started an exercise to 'streamline' outsourced functions for saving up to ₹200 crore annually, and also hopes to rationalise power bills to derive 15% cost savings, a top official said on Tuesday.

BSNL now offers more data in popular Abhinandan Plan – check details

BSNL prepaid recharge: State-owned telecom major Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has tweaked its hugely popular prepaid Abhinandan Plan. BSNL is now offering more data for its customer under this plan.

Struggling to stay connected

 BSNL, market leader till about a decade ago, has been hit by inadequate investments, inefficiencies and a lack of strategic vision. Thomas K Thomas and Nandana James report

BSNL orders officers to fly economy class to cut costs

New Delhi: In a move to cut costs further amid financial difficulties, state-run telecom major BSNL has asked all its officers to fly by economy class on both domestic and international air travel, according to an office order.

BSNL launches another long-term plan with 345 days validity at great price but you may not like it

BSNL has been on a launch spree when it comes to prepaid plans with varying validity. The operator, despite going through challenging financial situations, is coming up with aggressive plans to draw more customers to its network. That, along with the upcoming 4G network, is expected to make things work in BSNL's favour. Keeping in line with the trend, BSNL has launched another long-term plan for its prepaid subscribers in the Andhra Pradesh and Telengana circle.

BSNL, MTNL continue to be prominent telecom players: Shamrao Dhotre

NEW DELHI: State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) would continue to be prominent players in the telecom sector, but they have to demonstrate proficiency in their operations, Minister of State for Telecommunications, IT and HRD Sanjay Shmarao Dhotre said.

BSNL loses Arunachal, Assam mobile network tender as DoT to invite fresh bids

New Delhi: Ailing telecom firm BSNL has lost the mandate for rolling out mobile service project in Arunachal Pradesh and two districts of Assam on recommendation made by an inter-ministerial panel headed by Niti Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant.
The project was funded through Universal Services Obligation Fund (USOF) -- which was formed by the Centre to help fund projects in rural areas -- with an outlay of ₹1,460 crore.

Inside BSNL's plan to reclaim lost market in mobile, landline and broadband

State-run telecom firm BSNL Chairman P.K. Purwar has set sales targets for the company's various business verticals - fixed line, enterprise businesses, Fibre-to-Home and consumer mobility or wireless - to be achieved by the telecom circles in the current fiscal.

BSNL won’t survive without Narendra Modi's intervention: Officers' group chief

NEW DELHI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) officers’ group has warned that things may go out of hand, and the state-controlled telco would not survive for long unless the Prime Minister Office (PMO) takes a decision on telco’s revival and facilitates a soft loan for capital as well as operational expenses.

BSNL employees to challenge reduction in retirement age to 58

Even as Group of ministers (GoM) is working on a revival proposal for BSNL/MTNL, any move to reduce the retirement age to 58 is set to face opposition from the employees, who are set to legally challenge every decision in this regard.
According to sources, the GoM, headed by home minister Amit Shah, is deliberating on an option to reduce the retirement age to 58 years from the current 60, which will make BSNL lighter by 30,000 employees. However, the option will be strongly opposed by the staff, who feel that the government is duty-bound to honour the current retirement age.

BSNL, MTNL revival: Government faces costly options

A group of ministers led by home minister Amit Shah is understood to have met on Tuesday to explore ways to revive sick telecom PSUs —BSNL and MTNL —; a task which seems herculean with every passing day. Since the days of the government garnering high revenues through spectrum auctions are over, the choices before it are limited and also costly.

BSNL launches unlimited calling plan at Rs 96

State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has introduced a new recharge plan for its prepaid subscribers at a price of Rs 96. The new plan offers unlimited voice calls along with 100 SMS per day for a validity of 21 days. Having said that the plan comes with an overall validity of 180 days. There is no data benefit with this plan. The plan is not available in Delhi and Mumbai telecom circles. Subscribers can activate the plan by typing PLAN VOICE96 and sending the SMS to 123.

BSNL offering 'free' 5GB trial broadband plan to existing landline users: All you need to know

BSNL has relaunched a 5GB broadband plan for its landline customers. Notably, this is a free broadband trial offer. The same plan was first launched earlier this year in March, which expired on March 31. Now, the company has reintroduced the same BSNL plan, which will end on July 31, 2019. This means that the free 5GB data benefit will be live for a month only.

BSNL gives unlimited free calls with latest prepaid plan: Price and validity are surprising

BSNL has been quite aggressive lately in the telecom sector. The state-owned operator may have been in financial trouble lately but that hasn't deterred the company from competing aggressively against the private sector players with appealing prices for its services. This is the reason why BSNL is only operator other than Jio to gain subscribers at a time when others are losing them at a substantial rate. No, in order to keep the momentum going, BSNL has now come up with another appealing prepaid plan.

Government may scrap BSNL’s Northeast connectivity program, revival in limbo

NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi-led government is preparing an 'internal note' to scrap the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's (BSNL) mega Northeast telecom connectivity initiative that could garner as much as Rs 500 crore to the stressed telco which is yet to get any sort of relief from the Centre.

BSNL Now Bundles Amazon Prime Membership With Rs. 499 and Below Broadband Plans

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has reportedly started offering Amazon Prime membership with its broadband plans below Rs. 499. The new offer is said to be applicable for existing and new BSNL customers. Earlier, the state-owned telco was giving Prime access to customers opting for its broadband plans of Rs. 745 and above. BSNL is also offering up to 25 percent cashback for its customers picking up a broadband plan for 12 months. There is also a cashback on annual landline plans by the telco.

BSNL identifying land parcels for asset monetisation

NEW DELHI: Public sector Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is in the process identifying land parcels all over the country for monetisation, which as per its internal estimate is valued at ₹20,000 crore in 2018-19.
The state-run telecom major's corporate office has circulated a list of land parcels which are proposed for monetisation through the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) in the first instance.