BSNL revival efforts on in Khammam district

Khammam: The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is keen on coming out of its problems after the central government announced a relief package of Rs 1.67 lakh crore in a bail-out plan. The Khammam district BSNL, which had 550 employees 20 years back, has just 70 employees at present.

There are questions like whether the government is serious over the BSNL’s revival or the package is part of a wider plan to hand over BSNL to private entities.

The telecom company had 2.77 lakh cell phone consumers in Khammam district and 1.90 lakh consumers are active now. BSNL’s aim is to increase its consumer base by adding 1200 new consumers every month.

BSNL is using services of some of the networking companies as cluster partners. These partners used to lay lines in town areas as service-providers.

There are 6500 ‘Wifi’ connections in the district and a plan is to double this number in the next six months.

Assistant general manager of technical division of BSNL, Srinivasa Rao, said its ‘wifi’ service starts at the rate of Rs 275 per month, the cheapest package now available. The government identified 51 habitations in Khammam district that had no cell phone network and asked BSNL to erect 51 towers to reach the services to these areas.

The BSNL has also started upgrading 135 towers to 4G from 2G, which were erected with funds released under the provision to check Left Wing Extremism. The habitations were in mandals like Charla, Venkatapuram, Vazedu, Dummugudem, Allapalli, Mulakalapalli and Gundala in Khammam district.

BSF plans to erect 140 new towers apart from the upgrading of 245 existing towers in the erstwhile Khammam district. Indigenous technology and equipment to the towers are being provided under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat programme and the Tata group will provide the equipment.

BSNL employees union state vice-president Tirumalacharyulu said, “We have information that the government plans to sell out the company after reviving it with the financial package. There are about 80,000 employees in BSNL  -- after an equal number of employees took voluntary retirement under the VRS scheme.”

“There is a plan to send out another 35,000 employees on VRS and sell the company to the private entities,” he said.

Private companies have been given 5G while 4G is sanctioned to BSNL. Private companies are allowed to buy equipment from foreign companies, but not BSNL, he said.