TIRUCHY: The state-owned telecommunication service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is making a strong comeback to the field as a significant number of consumers in Tamil Nadu are switching from other private giants due to the recent 15-25% hike in their prepaid and postpaid plans. As per officials, BSNL has garnered around 80,000 new subscribers in the last 20 days in the state.
On July 3, top telecom service providers including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) had increased their tariff by upto 25%. This has prompted the public to go in search of an affordable alternative.
For example, the Tiruchy BSNL head office is witnessing an influx of customers eager to purchase new SIM cards, utilise mobile number portability options, and reactivate dormant BSNL numbers. The Tiruchy Business Area, which includes districts of Ariyalur, Perambalur, Karur, and Pudukkottai, reported a remarkable increase of 16,500 new mobile connections as of July 30 — a 4.88% rise from the previous month’s 4,500 new connections.
“BSNL has seen a notable reduction in customer churn, with the rate of customers switching to other networks decreasing from 6.29% to 0.4%,” said Vijayabhaskar, deputy general manager of the Tiruchy Business Area.
Similar trends are seen in Madurai and its surrounding districts. In July, BSNL reported a surge of 17,026 new connections in Madurai, Dindigul, and Theni districts. Karaikudi (comprising Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga districts) and Virudhunagar divisions also reported 5,148 and 5,989 new connections, respectively.
Overall, 9,228 customers switched from other networks to BSNL in the Madurai division as of July 29, an official told TNIE.
In Coimbatore too, around 12,000 subscribers have opted for BSNL instead of private telecom operators in July, said official sources within the department, reflecting a widespread shift across the state.
Speaking to TNIE, BSNL Chennai Telephones Chief General Manager Papa Sudhakara Rao on Wednesday stated that 40,000 new subscribers joined BSNL in the last 20 days following the tariff hikes. “We don’t have any plans to increase the tariff. Our focus is to expand our business,” Rao said.
He also announced plans to upgrade to 4G by December and eventually to 5G by March next year, with the installation of 300 additional towers in Chennai region which comprises Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu. Rao added that of the 2,100 towers, nearly 60% to 70% will be fibrised thus providing the subscribers with quality services.
Meanwhile, several customers TNIE spoke to have expressed their dissatisfaction with the tariff hikes by the three major telecommunication companies. Bala, a former Jio customer, highlighted the cost difference, noting that Jio charges Rs 349 for 2GB/day for 28 days, while BSNL offers 4G at Rs 199 for 30 days. However, some customers, like Raja, remain sceptical about BSNL’s network speed.
R Bala of Kulithalai, who had switched from Airtel to BSNL, said “I have opted for Rs 499 BSNL package with 2GB data per day for 80 days, but with Airtel I will have to spend Rs 859 for 84 days.”
However, BSNL’s network quality remains a concern in certain rural parts of Tiruchy. “If the Rs 82,916 crore allocated in the budget for BSNL is used efficiently, the existing infrastructure can be upgraded, and more customers will come to BSNL,” said P Arivazhagan of the BSNL Pensioners Welfare Association.
(With inputs from MP Saravanan @ Madurai & N Dhamodharan @ Coimbatore, C Shivakumar @ Chennai)