BMS demands rollback of tariff hikes, immediate 4G/5G rollout by BSNL

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has called for the reversal of recent mobile tariff hikes by Reliance Jio and Airtel, while also urging the immediate deployment of 4G and 5G services by state-run BSNL.

In a letter dated July 10 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) said BSNL restricts telecom operators from raising mobile tariffs as market balance and should be allowed to upgrade its infrastructure for 4G and 5G services using equipment from global players until indigenous technology gets developed.

The trade union said BSNL is losing customers in the absence of high-speed internet service, and its presence in the market as a full-fledged 4G and 5G service provider is a must not only in the interest of the nation but also for common people.

"Reliance Ji and Airtel have affected the public at large, and the public is being virtually forced to cough up a hefty amount to these telcos as the government telecom operator, i.e., BSNL has still not rolled out its full-fledged 4G and 5G service. It's a known fact that BSNL has always acted as a market balancer in the telecom market, which has always kept the private telcos in check for increasing the tariff," BMS, General Secretary Ravindra Himite said in the letter.

He said that the private telecom operators have already earned huge profits in the last few years and this hike was totally unnecessary and without any justification. "Hence, the government must take immediate efforts to force these telcos to roll back the rate hike. This rate hike by private telcos once again brings back the focus on the presence of BSNL in the telecom sector as a market balancer," the letter said.

Early this month, Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone Idea raised tariffs in the range of 10–27 per cent. BMS said that the drastic hike in tariff has affected Bhartiya Citizens and has resulted in huge difficulties for the common people who have been using mobile not only as a means of communication but also as a mode of earning their daily livelihoods.

The trade union sought the intervention of the PM in allowing BSNL to be provided with the necessary support to launch its 4G and 5G services, which will not only protect the interests of its customers but also help in regulating the market and stopping illogical tariff hikes by private telecom operators.

"BSNL has not been able to upgrade its network to 4G/5G services because of the constraints laid down on it for not using standard 4G/5G Equipment from global vendors. Though we do understand the significance of Atma Nirbhar Bharat in Telecom and firmly support the idea, at the same time we consider it paramount to allow BSNL to launch the services by allowing it to upgrade its existing infrastructure until Swadeshi (indigenous) technology is developed," the letter said.

BMS said BSNL customers are not being able to use high-speed data services, which is leading to massive churn in its subscriber base, which is adversely affecting the financial health of the company, its employees, and also the general public, who are being denied access to cheaper data services.

"BMS urges the government to take immediate steps to ensure that BSNL can expeditiously launch its 4G services and subsequently upgrade to 5G. We are confident that with the right support, BSNL can play a crucial role in providing affordable and accessible telecom services to the people of India," the letter said.

The company is waiting for core network technology from vendors to scale up and launch 4G services.

Source: PTI