Airtel, Vi and Mukesh Ambani's Jio gaining more subscribers due to THIS reason, there is a BSNL link, it is...

Just a few months ago, private telecom companies including Airtel, Jio and Vi (Vodafone + Idea) witnessed a significant decline in the count of their subscribers, as BSNL witnessed a paradoxical surge. The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), under the ownership of the Ministry of Communications, saw this notable rise owing to the expensive tariff plans of the private telecom companies. 

Customers, upset over the expensive plans, ported their numbers to the government-managed company. However, this shift was short-lived, as customers have now started reconsidering their decisions. Just a few months down the line, there are now customers who are planning to port their numbers back into the hands of these privately owned and run firms. 

The situation emerged in June-July this year, when tariff plans remained unchanged in the case of BSNL, whereas it increased drastically in the private telecom companies. A wave spread like wildfire over social media where it was being told that the private companies were swindling customers. As general advice, it was told that customers should consider porting their number to BSNL. That eventually transpired as customer counts decreased immensely for the private telecom companies. 

However, flash forward to today, BSNL customers complain of the company’s poor service. There are complaints that the company’s calling and internet fails to function everywhere. In terms of internet speed, the private companies seem to be faring far better. Not only is BSNL yet to start its 5G network, but complaints have emerged regarding its 4G network stating that it does not work properly either.

With most problems seen in rural areas, many customers now plan to switch back to Airtel, Jio or Vi.  Among the private firms, Airtel and Jio have made the highest returns, seeing a greater jump in port-outs than BSNL. Retailers have said that Vi is likely to take more time to get back its customer base lost to BSNL, as just like BSNL, Vi is also yet to start its 5G services. In addition, Jio and Airtel’s 4G network works faster than Vi. 

Data from the Telecom Regulatory of India (TRAI) reveals a massive drop in BSNL’s new subscribers from July (when it was at 29.3 lakh) to September (which fell to a mere 80,000). However, an interesting observation here is that this was also at the time when BSNL’s tariffs continued to be much cheaper than its private counterparts. 

In response, BSNL Chairman and Managing Director Robert Ravi said that the company is on its path to rapidly expanding the 4G service. He said that its network quality meets the standards of TRAI and is at par with other private operators. He further added, "We are facing problems in some areas, but we have deployed a great team to solve these issues as soon as possible. Soon, BSNL will be one of the best 4G networks.”