The rollout of 4G service at tariffs much lower than the competition is helping the public sector telco finally emerge as a credible alternative.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, the Indian public sector telecom company, seemed like a lost cause. It was on the verge of closure in 2019 and, even a few months ago, its employees union said it was “sinking deep into the crisis”. But now, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.
BSNL’s competitors—Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea—increased tariffs in July this year. The fallout was immediate. Jio and Airtel, whose subscriber numbers were growing until that point, lost 12.72 million and 5.52 million subscribers, respectively, in the period between July and September. Vodafone Idea was …
Sethu writes on all things technology at The Morning Context. He previously worked as a senior sub-editor at Indian Express.
Writer
sethu@mailtmc.com
Kochi