BSNL adds 2.6 mn users in March, sets record

State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has recorded a total subscriber addition of over 2.6 million in March this year, the highest by any telecom operator in the country.

The company added over 2 million wireless customers, while the remaining growth came from fixed line and wireless in local loop (WLL) customers.

BSNL offers services across all 23 circles in the country.

This is one of the largest customer acquisitions by any company in a month in the country, the earlier being by Bharti Airtel in January this year, when it added over 1.6 million.

The public sector unit's new initiatives like broadband, triple play services (voice, cable TV and Internet) on a single line, broadband and launching of new recharge vouchers also were reasons for the increase in the subscriber base.

Earlier in the day, Reliance Communications announced an addition of around 1.2 million users in March, while Bharti Airtel is reported to have added around 1.6 million subscribers. Another GSM operator, Hutchison-Essar, is expected to add over 1 million subscribers this month.

The country added over 6.22 million wireless users in February, increasing the total number of subscribers to 162.53 million.

Overall additions for March would be announced tomorrow.