NEW DELHI: State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is working aggressively to resolve call drops, call mute issues, and other calling-related problems on its network.
As per a senior BSNL official, all such issues will be addressed by next month (February 2024), after which the telecom service provider expects to reduce customer churn caused by poor network quality.
“We are aware that many customers leave BSNL due to poor call quality and frequent call drops. However, we are taking aggressive steps to resolve these issues, and I am confident that by next month, these concerns will be a thing of the past,” said the official.
Following the tariff hikes by private telcos such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, many subscribers have switched to BSNL. However, the migration has slowed recently due to customer dissatisfaction with BSNL’s network. By July 2024, only 0.31 million users left BSNL. This number further dropped to 0.26 million in August, 0.28 million in September and rose to 0.51 million in October 2024.
TRAI data supports the claim of poor network quality. Among the four major telcos, BSNL has the worst connectivity. For instance, call drop rates for MTNL were found to be higher at 7.23%, while other providers, including RJIL, had rates below 0.25% in Delhi.
The official further revealed that BSNL is working on a technology to prevent fraudulent calls on its network. He claimed this technology will be superior to that of private telecom providers due to BSNL’s indigenous network.
“We are developing a solution that will prevent fraudulent calls on our network. I can assure you it will be better than what private telecom companies offer, as we are implementing it on our indigenous network,” said the official.
Regarding the rollout of 4G services, the official confirmed that BSNL plans to install 100,000 4G towers by March 2024. A formal commercial launch of 4G services is expected in the coming months, though the network is already operational in several areas on a pilot basis. It’s worth noting that BSNL is the only major telecom service provider in India that is yet to launch a nationwide 4G or 5G network. Meanwhile, competitors such as Jio and Airtel have already launched 5G services across India, and Vodafone Idea has a comprehensive 4G network in place, with plans to introduce 5G services soon.