Freeze on BSNL pre-paid draws public ire

Company says connection capacity exhausted

Even as Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has exhausted its capacity of pre-paid connections in the state, there have been a spate of protests across the state, with people resorting to hunger strikes and demonstrations demanding that they be given pre-paid connections. BSNL says the company now needs five months to enhance the existing capacity.

BSNL has had to issue an appeal on Thursday, requesting people to exercise restraint even as plans are as per schedule to increase the capacity of connections in Gujarat.

BSNL has planned a phased expansion of capacity and aims to add another 13.5 lakh connections by the year-end.

There have been several representations from elected representatives, including MLAs, demanding that the company begin issuing fresh connections.

After getting a share of over 4.81 lakh customers in the state by the end of February this year, BSNL has saturated its capacity and although fresh post-paid connections are being issued, it will take around five months for the new infrastructure to be put in place before the company embarks on a full-fledged campaign to promote its cellular service.

Most of the protests are coming from towns, semi-urban and rural areas of the state like Vansda and Chikhli in south Gujarat, Meghraj in north Gujarat and Dhrangadhra and Halvad in Saurashtra. This is because BSNL has an excellent coverage network in rural areas of the state, but no new connections can be issued.

"We still have a capacity of about one lakh post-paid connections in Gujarat, but BSNL's pre-paid cellular service CellOne is in huge demand. We continue to provide new post-paid connections, but pre-paid connections will be available as per demand only after about four months, when the capacity expansion will take place," said a BSNL official here. BSNL's post-paid cellular service in Gujarat is sold under the brand name Excel.

BSNL has replaced Lucent Technologies with Alcatel India for upgrading the existing cellular service network in Gujarat. Alcatel India has been awarded the contract and the company has already taken up the task of increasing the capacity of BSNL's cellular network in the state.

The expansion will be implemented in two phases. Capacity for 3.50 lakh new connections will be made available in the next three or four months, while the remaining ten lakh connection capacity expansion is scheduled to be made available by the end of the current fiscal year.

Officials said protests, hunger strikes and demonstrations will only delaying connections.

"Our workers need to function in a conducive atmosphere and the work will only be delayed further if people resort to protests. We have issued an appeal to them to exercise some restraint," said the official.