Will TRAI force BSNL to put plan on hold?

In the latest development that may put the plan on hold, which is scheduled to roll out on June 15, TRAI has summoned BSNL officials over the issue of taking the landmark decision, without intimating it.

Talking to Millennium Post, a highly-placed source in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology said: “The TRAI has objected to the BSNL’s move to provide free roaming to its customers pan-India. The telecom regulator has asked the state-owned operator to justify the decision, which has been taken without informing it,” adding that: “The move will let other private players change their plans, without intimating the apex regulator.”

Sources in the BSNL said senior officials of the public telecom service provider were summoned by TRAI on June 9, a week after Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had announced about BSNL providing free roaming services. Sources added that to avoid any last minute fiasco, the state-run telecom firm has apprised the Minister of the matter. However, telecom experts opine that BSNL’s free roaming facility would hit the customer base of private players.

BSNL had a mobile subscriber base of 77.2 million till March-end, this year. At present, the telecom service provider earns Rs 150 crore from roaming rates. BSNL officials said though the roaming revenues will come down, the company expects a surge in the number of subscribers because of the free roaming facility. The company operates across India, except Delhi and Mumbai, where its sister arm Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) operates.