Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd on Wednesday said it would start international long distance services in February next year, for which it is likely to use Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd's infrastructure.
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.
The government on Wednesday cleared financial support worth Rs 2,700 crore (Rs 27 billion) for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd to be paid in the current and next financial year.
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.
Telecom tariffs are likely to fall as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India substantially lowered access deficit charge, a levy paid by private operators to BSNL for rural operations.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd's profits have declined after its corporatisation, mainly on account of the sharp increase in wages, higher depreciation rates, provision of bad debts and wealth tax, Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
The cellular phone industry will be able to lower the tariffs if the access deficit charge is brought down, according to Sunil Mittal, the CMD of telecom major Bharti.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited on Friday said that the concept of unified license regime as propounded by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India was not harmful from the point of view of the operators.
Telecom Regulatory Authority of India said on Thursday that the current access deficit charge of 11 per cent must be brought down to lower the tariffs and enable the sector achieve higher mobile growth like China.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd lost 32.6 lakh subscribers in 2003-04 compared to 17.9 lakh in the previous year even as 17.5 lakh people were waiting to get new connections from the state-owned telecom company as on March 31, 2004.
Even after the rejection of its financial package of Rs 23,000 crore (Rs 230 billion) by the Cabinet, BSNL on Tuesday said it was hopeful that the proposal would eventually be accepted.
State-run telecom firm Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd on Tuesday said it has started negotiations with Tatas-owned Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd to work out a framework for deriving synergies on its proposed international long distance services.
Terming its proposed move to reduce pulse rate for basic to mobile calls as "non-discriminatory", Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd on Tuesday expressed hope that revenue impact on account of new customer-friendly packages.
With barely 20 days to go for the scheduled commercial launch of its services, Reliance has managed to connect with only about 51 out of over 600 points in Bharat Sanchar Nigam's network.
In view of the delay in implementation of new tariff order, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd on Monday said its post-paid and pre-paid customers will continue to avail free incoming calls till the revised tariff comes into effect.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd lost Rs 9,000 crore (Rs 90 billion) for providing telephones in villages and remote areas, between its corporatisation in October, 2000 and December 31, 2002, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Reliance Infocomm is once again giving incumbents Bharat Sanchar Nigam and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd a run for their money.
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