In the first ever indication of a possible merger of two public sector telecom companies, MTNL and BSNL, the government on Thursday said it was appointing advisors for synergising their operations.
Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd have entered into a strategic alliance, under which the two public-sector telecom companies will jointly offer their voice and data services.
The government is considering the option of handing over operations of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) to BSNL through an agreement, instead of pursuing a merger route, a source privy to the development said. A final call on this is likely to be taken in a month's time. The source said the option of handing over debt-laden MTNL's operations to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) through an agreement is being looked into.
BSNL, MTNL respond to Vavasi despite advice to the contrary
While ranking the companies, the study expressed concern over the slackening pace of Internet and broadband penetration as a result of which not even a single target set by the regulator in 2005 has been met.
BSNL, MTNL to match cell phone tariff cuts
Senior Indian Telecom Service officer A K Sinha on Thursday assumed charge as the chairman and managing director of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.
Telecom services across the country could suffer, with the Department of Telecom ready to recall over 2,200 of its officers on deputation in MTNL and BSNL.
Motorola also said it will consider manufacturing in India to comply with the eligibility criteria of deals with state-run carriers.
Long-distance tariffs will crash from Tuesday with TRAI reducing the access deficit charge given to telecom operators Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd by up to 62 per cent.
As many as 17.9 lakh (1.79 million) subscribers of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and 203,000 customers of Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd surrendered landline telephones between April to October this year, Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
State-owned BSNL would be the biggest gainer followed by MTNL if the government changes the inter-connect usage charges, based on TRAI's consultation paper, according to a recent report by equity research firm J M Morgan Stanley.
BSNL, MTNL also reduce local call rates to Re 1 for a 3-minute call. But this comes with an increase in rental of Rs 49 to Rs 299 per month from the existing Rs 250.
The Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd on Friday announced up to 25 per cent reduction in ISD (international subscriber dialling) rates for calls made to destinations like the United States, the Untied Kingdom and South East Asian countries.
Close on the heels of BSNL slashing its international tariffs, state-owned MTNL on Wednesday announced a 40 per cent reduction in ISD rates to the United States and Europe for a month, as part of a festive offer.
State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd on Tuesday announced a partial roll-back in telephone tariffs by increasing the number of free calls per month.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Employees Union on Friday extended support to the proposed indefinite strike of employees of public sector oil companies against privatisation of HPCL and BPCL.
With a major network rollout on the cards, the government is not keen to change the pattern of tower monetisation for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), officials at the state-owned telecom-service provider said. The monetisation target in the telecom sector had to be revised owing to a change in BSNL's approach to mobile-phone tower monetisation, which had shifted from a sale-based model to a lease-based one.
The department of telecommunications has agreed to set up a search committee to look for new chairmen and managing directors for both, as suggested by the Sam Pitroda-led committee on the organsiation's revamp.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd launched on Thursday its multi-play service offering Internet Protocol television and video-on-demand to its broadband customers.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd has started talks on synergising operations with Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd, which offers telecom services in Delhi and Mumbai.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd will launch by next month end its broadband service, ADSL, in Kolkata to provide cable television and video-on-demand.
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