BSNL Needs to Get Going, Govt has Done its Part: Opinion

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) needs to get going after the bailout package that the government has announced for the state-run telco. BSNL has received a relief package worth Rs 1.64 lakh crore from the centre. This is massive and shows the intent of the Indian government to keep the telecom sector balanced with the presence of a state-run telco to compete with the private companies. But is BSNL really fighting with the private companies? Not really! BSNL doesn’t have a PAN-India 4G network yet, and it will take at least two years for the telco to build it. This means somewhere around 2024, BSNL will have a 4G network that will cover the entire country.

• Make Telecom Talk My Trusted Source
• 
• 

A good differentiator for BSNL would be using homegrown technology. Private telcos have taken help from foreign gear vendors. This would enable BSNL is getting an advantage in marketing over the private telcos. The telco has done successful 4G trials with TCS (Tata Consultancy Services). The only thing that’s left now is the rollout of 4G.

For that as well, the government has taken care of the capex spending on the relief package it announced recently. BSNL has also been allotted 4G spectrum from the government, which was mentioned in the relief package. The government has done its part to the most extent. Now it is the turn of BSNL to show some performance gains.

The state-run telco already has millions of fans. It needs to strategize better in order to retain customers and add new ones. Just cheaper tariffs won’t do the trick. Gone are the days when users were satisfied with getting average data speeds and poor network quality for a lower cost. In general, since everything is turning digital and 5G is on the verge to launch, users will expect a decent network experience from whichever telecom operator they are purchasing services from.