The smart phones have triggered a huge demand for micro SIMs in the city but many leading telecom players are unable to fulfil the demand leaving the customers high and dry.
Public sector telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has admitted the shortage of micro SIMs in the city and said they will be procuring it from their telecom factory in Mumbai.
“There has been some delay in availability of micro SIMs at our centers. We will be getting the supplies by next week,” a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) spokeswoman said.
It is not only the non-availability of micro sims but also the rude behavior of customer care officials which is pushing some of the loyal customers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to private telecom players.
“How are they going to withstand the competition when they can’t be polite to their customers,” one of the customers retorted who has gone to buy a micro SIM for her iphone at BSNL’s Anna Salai office.
However, even the private players have been hit by the demand for micro sims. An Airtel spokesman said that they too were facing a shortage of micro SIMs earlier. “Initially, we also faced a shortage of micro sims due to huge demand for smart phones like iPhone, and many models of Samsung and Nokia. However, this supply and demand gap is now bridged,” he added.
A BSNL spokeswoman said that they had sold around 2,500 micro SIMs till now and would be procuring more than they had sold earlier due to huge demand for smart phones. However, many telecom firms are refusing to divulge the figures of demand for micro sims.