To clinch large number of the 8-10 lakh connections up for grabs
The Kerala Circle of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd is going to be a net gainer in the churn triggered by the nixing of 122 2G licences.
BSNL hopes to clinch a ‘large number' of the eight to 10 lakh connections up for grabs locally, says Mr B. Sunil Kumar, General Manager (Network Planning), Consumer Mobility, BSNL-Kerala.
MNP TRAFFIC
This will effectively ride piggyback on the ‘inbound' traffic already underway as part of the mobile number portability regime (MNP) regime, he told Business Line here.
The MNP has already been sustaining the inbound traffic in the ratio of 1:5 (five subscribers porting in for every single one choosing to leave the BSNL network).
This is quite different from the scene obtaining nationally where BSNL is said to be losing subscribers after the MNP regime was introduced.
The image of BSNL as a public sector utility giant is very much in tact locally, Mr Sunil Kumar said. It would like to build on further from this base, and the 2G scam and the Supreme Court ruling may have offered it the best opportunity to do just that.
BEST OPPORTUNITY
“We will try to make most of the situation. We intend to come up with a suitable campaign introducing new offers/products,” Mr Sunil Kumar said.
Meanwhile, independent estimates suggested that Uninor could witness the maximum number of connections being pulled off the plug in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling.
This joint venture between Unitech and Telenor of Norway has a little more than 7.15 lakh connections getting snapped in this manner.
The second biggest number up for grabs is 2.47 lakh belonging to Videocon followed by 12,246 of Etisalat, the sources said.
SECOND LARGEST
As on date, BSNL has the second largest subscriber base of 64,67,942 in the State. Idea leads the list with 74,24,470 subscribers, while Vodafone runs in as the third behind BSNL with 58,09,868.
Speaking to Business Line on an earlier occasion, Mr Sunil Kumar had said that MNP had evinced good interest from the corporate sector as well in the Kerala circle.
He described it as a hugely complex programme achieved with minimum fuss.
It had been a managerial, technical and logistical challenge dealing with voice, data and GPRS services through varied platforms ranging from GSM and CDMA to 3G.
MET HEAD ON
But this challenge had been met head on, and MNP was now possible at the command of a single text message.
Teething issues, including those involving the MNP Clearing House Authority (MCHA), hade largely been streamlined.
Penetration of 3G services would effectively deal with the bugbear of call-drops, voice clarity and network congestion, he had said.
Keywords: Kerala Circle, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, 2G licences,
