KOLLAM: BSNL Kollam has started a series of measures to win back its customers and to make itself attractive to new users.
The scheme of free unlimited call facility from 9 pm to 7 am has become an instant hit with the public. BSNL general manager B Rajendran said that it had received more that 2,500 applications for landline connections. Besides that, around 4,000 customers who had discontinued the service have approached BSNL for reconnection to make use of the facility.
According to Rajendran, it was a win-win strategy as it could utilise the idle resource to good use for the benefit of customers. He said that the technical snags associated with mobile connectivity has been resolved to a large extend. Addition of Base Transceiver Stations to cater to 3G, 2G and WiMax services would help their quality. In addition, power backup for most BTS have been replaced with newly acquired batteries and this would reduce issues like ‘call drop’. He said that BSNL has 370 mobile phone towers in the district out of which 107 are 3G receivers. Another 80 towers will also be upgraded as 3G receivers this year, he added.
BSNL’s free national roaming scheme, which came into effect from June 15, would help it with more port-in after the national mobile number portability became effective from July 3. Kollam BSNL has added 15 new customer service centres which would make the total number of such centres in the district to 36. Rajendran said that these new centres were received under the ‘Mission-500’ project envisaged by Kerala circle CGM for better customer-friendly experience.
Rajendran claimed that these measures have helped in reducing the customer complaints, both in landline and mobile services. Kollam SSA recorded a 13% growth in revenue for the 2014-’15 fiscal compared to previous years’. In the first quarter of 2015-’16, it recorded a revenue of Rs 43.5 crore.
Digital push
BSNL will introduce a series of communication infrastructure facilities to back the ambitious project by the Union government to make the country a digitally empowered society.
Rajendran said that Kollam BSNL plans to introduce the next generation network switches facility, which will help customers to make video calling, video conference and prepaid landline, for its entire network. Five locations have been identified this year for adding about 12,000 lines. The locations identified for the coverage are Anchalumoodu, Karikode, Chinnakada, Vellayittambalam and Karavaloor. Complete network migration to NGN is expected by March 2017.
BSNL Kollam, which has announced setting up of 20 wi-fi hotspots in the district, will complete the project by December.
The wi-fi hotspots will be available at Kollam City Corporation complex, the Kollam railway station, the public library, Jerome Nagar commercial complex, the civil station, district hospital, Andamukham private bus stand, BSNL GM office at Vellayittambalam, Younus College of Engineering, Azeezia Medical College, Travancore Medical College, ESI Medical College Hospital Paripally, Paravur private bus stand area, Punalur civil station and the Anchal civil station.