Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has started providing users with over-the-top (OTT) benefits on purchase of broadband plans. The telco has been offering broadband services for many years now. But since the time Airtel and Jio have come in with their fiber broadband offerings at an affordable cost, BSNL’s internet business has gone down. To counter this dip in demand of broadband services, BSNL later came with its fiber offerings as well. But the only thing that was missing from BSNL’s fiber offerings was OTT benefits. But not anymore, BSNL is allowing users to buy an affordable add-on pack with their broadband plans through which they can get access to multiple OTT platforms — more details on the story ahead.
BSNL OTT Add-On Packs Details
BSNL is offering one OTT add-on pack at two different rates. Users purchasing the pack for the first three months will get it for Rs 129 per month. After the first three months are gone, the plan's rate will increase to Rs 199 per month. As per a KerelaTelecom report, the add-on pack will bring users subscription of Voot Select, SonyLIV Special, ZEE5 Premium, YuppTV Live (all NCF channels), YuppTV FDFS (first-day first show), YuppTV Movies, Support, and Marketing content as well. Duly note that the above-mentioned charges don’t include the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
BSNL will be offering this broadband OTT add-on pack in every circle it operates. The add-on pack will come in to effect from January 18, 2021. Both BSNL’s Bharat Fiber customers and normal broadband customers can purchase this OTT add-on pack from January 18. It is worth noting that every subscription offered to the users will allow them to access content from the premium library of these platforms.
While the monthly cost may look small when users see the kind of OTT bundle they are getting, one should not forget that other internet service providers (ISPs) offer OTT benefits for free with their broadband plans. Airtel and Jio both offer a ton of OTT benefits to users with their broadband plans for no additional cost, and their fiber plans come for almost the same rate as of BSNL’s.
While BSNL has stepped up its broadband game, it will be interesting to see how consumers look and react to this OTT add-on pack. For the unaware, BSNL also offers a free subscription of Disney+ Hotstar Premium with its select fiber broadband plans namely ‘Superstar 300GB/month’ (Rs 779/month), ‘Superstar 500GB/month’ (Rs 949/month), ‘Fibre Premium’ (Rs 999/month), and ‘Fibre Ultra’ (Rs 1,499/month).
