We have covered the highs and lows of the telecom industry in the last few weeks, looking at what makes certain telecom companies stick with the customers and others being sidelined from the competition. The telecom companies that we have shed the limelight on have all been private ones. But today, we’re going to turn the wheels and take a look at the public telecom company, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, and what it can do to make itself a strong contender in front of its rivals.
Even before we’ve said it, the consumer knows it best that the one and only thing that BSNL would be aggressively pursuing is the launch of the 4G network. While states like Kerala have been beneficiaries of the BSNL 4G network, the other states have eluded the service till now largely except for some areas with sporadically available service. The availability of the BSNL 4G network would put it at par with a lot of telecom operators, especially given the coverage that BSNL has.
The government-led telecom operator has availability of network in the deepest parts of the country, and coupling it with high speeds would mean a sure success story for BSNL.
BSNL has aggressively tried to bring 4G customers onboard earlier by distributing SIM cards either for free or for a very marginal cost which has helped customers migrate to the services. Such a move might prove beneficial in the areas again where the 4G network has popped up.
The success of BSNL Broadband
Another area where BSNL can be said to be a strong competitor is wired broadband. Almost all reviews of BSNL FTTH have garnered a lot of praise. The plans of BSNL broadband are unique and offer lots of data. Perhaps what BSNL can do to spice things up is to bundle OTT services similar to other telecom operators to make these plans attractive. Postpaid being a high earner for most telecom operators is also something BSNL can capitalise on.
To make its plans more attractive, moves like data rollover and weekend bundling, similar to Vodafone Idea, can prove to be a game-changer to the telecom company. There was a time when BSNL’s landline services were immensely popular for offering free calling in the late-night wee hours. This is something that can be revived in the data game. All this being said, the natural step for BSNL seems to be the acquisition of 4G spectrum and the rollout of a 4G network.
Of course, being a public telecom operator, the acquisition of the 4G spectrum might be easier for BSNL, given that it’s the sole crown jewel of the government when it comes to telecommunications. The government has already hinted that it plans on retaining at least one player in the strategic sectors, even with plans of disinvestment. This means that BSNL has something to look forward to.
It’s not that BSNL is not a powerful adversary to the present telecom companies, but a lot of public perception is also behind the situation in which BSNL stands today. There are several prepaid plans in the BSNL prepaid portfolio and broadband portfolio, which can be considered better than Vodafone Idea’s or Reliance Jio’s offerings, but the aggressive marketing strategies pursued by these companies lead to the customers being lured. A slight spike in the marketing by BSNL might also translate to more customers on its network.
Summarising, it can be said that BSNL is here to stay for the long run. The wide coverage which BSNL offers in the deepest areas of the country is something that makes it unique, and the BSNL broadband plans have surely made their place in the market. Now it remains to be seen, with the fight for 5G running in the market, how BSNL catches up with other telecom companies.
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