The Hindu Business Line : BSNL’s stand

From news reports (Business Line, July 8 and 10) it seems the Minister of Communications has fallen into the trap set by vested interests wanting to delay the expansion plans of BSNL’s GSM cellular network.

He is not only trying to back-seat drive BSNL, but is also giving its competitors a free hand to capture a market that is registering huge growth.

It is strange for the Minister to name the company that did not win the tender and which had withdrawn the case before a High Court challenging the selection.

Heartening is the principled stand taken by the BSNL employees union which has realised the danger to the future if the tender gets delayed.

I consider it unwise to go for 2-G technology instead of 3-G only because of the present cost.

3-G technology will give BSNL the competitive edge it desperately needs to grow. It might be very expensive to upgrade the network later.

I hope the BSNL board will assert its independence and take a decision in the interest of the company. The board should be able to convince the Minister that it is doing the right thing.

S. Rajagopalan Former CMD MTNL Tiruchi

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