India’s state-led telecom operator, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has been making consumer-centric moves in the market for almost a year now. Although the telecom operator remains under massive debt from the data tariff war, its consumer-centric offerings have helped him keep the subscriber base intact and even grow a little. As part of this, BSNL has launched various offers, validity extensions and new services as well. Today we are going to be talking about latter, as BSNL has announced the launch of a new service in partnership with PayTM. Joining hands with the payments application, BSNL has launched the new Smart Wi-Fi Onboarding service using which the subscribers will be able to connect to BSNL Wi-Fi using the PayTM app. It is worth noting that BSNL has got a massive coverage under its Wi-Fi network across India. The telecom operator boasts of more than 30,000 hotspots in India where it has a Wi-Fi network.
BSNL Partners Up with PayTM to Launch Wi-Fi Onboarding
BSNL, on Thursday, launched the Wi-Fi Onboard Service in partnership with PayTM. Like we mentioned above, using this service, the BSNL SIM cardholders will be able to join BSNL Wi-Fi using the PayTM application. The launch was done by Shri PK Purwar, CMD, BSNL at India Habitat centre, New Delhi. Both PayTM and BSNL officials were present at the venue which marked the start of the partnership between BSNL and PayTM. With the launch of this service, BSNL will increase the ease of access for connecting to Wi-Fi networks across the country with the PayTM app. BSNL also noted that PayTM has led the digital payments landscape in India for a few years now and that the PayTM app offers a clean and simple user interface combined with a dedicated customer service team. With this new category, the payments application will provide a unique and smooth experience to the users whereby giving them access to public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Payments for Wi-Fi Hotspots to be Made Over PayTM
On the occasion of the launch, Shri PK Purwar, CMD, BSNL remarked, “Internet users are predominantly hesitant of connecting to a public Wi-Fi due to the conventional approach and insecurity of using bank details for a small Wi-Fi transaction on a not so trustworthy platform.” He further added, “Having addressed these elementary predicaments, Paytm has launched Wi-Fi Connect Service in partnership with BSNL where users can connect to BSNL Wi-Fi network on all enabled locations in just a few clicks”.
It is worth noting that using the PayTM app the users are able to recharge their numbers and buy various data packs for their use as well. The payment app accepts UPI, wallet money an many other methods. Similarly, now it will offer an easy way to make payments for Wi-Fi hotspots or Wi-Fi packs too. Whenever the PayTM users are in a Wi-Fi zone, the app will send a notification to the user and ask the user to connect to the Wi-Fi. Once the user is authenticated after entering the SSID, they will be able to buy a suitable pack for using over the Wi-Fi. The payment for this would be made over PayTM only. Not only this, but the feature will also provide the users with the facility to check data consumption and validity on the dashboard, similar to how a self-care app would allow you to do.
BSNL Boasting of More than 30,000 Hotspots
Shri Vivek Banzal, Director CFA, BSNL also said about this new launch “This integration will definitely bring a revolution in the adoption of public Wi-Fi. Paytm and BSNL are working together to enable more hotspot locations to increase the digital footprint and give further boost to the mission of a 'Digital and Connected India.” It is worth noting that BSNL has over 30,000 Wi-Fi sites across India, which the subscribers can access by paying for small sachets and accessing data over the network.
