Khammam: Jio, Airtel tariff hike sees BSNL getting 13,000 new subscribers in 13 days

Officials and employees of the public sector telecom company have launched efforts to improve their customer base by attracting customers who are upset over tariff hikes by private companies.

Khammam: Cashing in the unrest caused among mobile users in the wake of tariff hikes by private telecom companies Reliance Jio and Airtel, the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is trying to gain ground.

Officials and employees of the public sector telecom company have launched efforts to improve their customer base by attracting customers who are upset over tariff hikes by private companies. In Kothagudem, BSNL launched a mega mela to get new subscribers offering free 4G SIM cards and fiber net wifi 5G-modem besides organising awareness rallies. The company assistant general manager G Subhash hoped the BSNL would regain its former glory.

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The company is providing services to the consumers facing stiff competition. With private companies increasing their tariff plans, consumers are looking towards BSNL. Attractive schemes are being introduced and they are being taken to the people to improve the customer base. There has been a good response to the free SIM mela, Subhash noted. BSNL Kothagudem office superintendent Shivaramji told Telangana Today that since the launch of the campaign, in the last 13 days, the company got as many as 13,000 new subscribers in Kothagudem and Khammam districts.

With ‘JioBoycott’ and ‘BSNLkiGharWapsi’ trend gaining momentum on social media, many of the Jio and Airtel users have been porting to BSNL. According to the officials, every day, around 25 customers are porting to BSNL from other service providers. Meanwhile, BSNL Employees union leaders VV Nageswara Rao and V Sunil demanded the Centre to allow the company to commence 4G and 5G services. The union demanded the Centre to allow the use of the Vodafone Idea network to offer 4G services, but in vain.

Former Minister of Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw had announced in May 2023 that BSNL would launch its 4G services in a few weeks and would be upgraded to 5G services by December, 2023. But that could not happen till date, the leaders complained.In order to favour private firms, the Centre has been preventing BSNL from launching 4G and 5G services depriving consumers of high speed data services, they said. Engineers suggested upgrading the equipment with the company to offer 4G services, however, the Centre denied permission, they said.