Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has received some tough love from India’s IT and Telecoms Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. The minister has been very vocal about the changes to be made by the employees of the state-run telco. First of all, Vaishnaw asked employees to leave their ‘Sarkari Attitude’ or go home through early retirement. Vaishnaw’s words were not empty threats. Much recently, Vaishnaw asked a CGM (Chief General Manager) who was caught taking a nap during a meeting to leave the room. It is also said that the CGM has been forced early retirement through the Voluntary Pension Scheme.
But the big question is, will it change things? Surely Vaishnaw made a point by this move. It shows that the Indian government is quite serious about making it right with BSNL this time around. But removing an employee from the company for early retirement may not be the actual push the employees need. That said, the CGM, who has been removed from the company, was indeed guilty of sleeping in a meeting with the telecoms minister.
BSNL should launch 4G soon; There is no other way
BSNL is fighting for his life with Rs 1.64 lakh crore revival package that the center recently announced. This aid package addresses the telco’s concerns about 4G capex, which is a positive sign. However, there are delays whenever something important is about to happen. BSNL should launch 4G as soon as possible and take some subscribers away from the private telcos with the allure of lower rates.
Things have to change for BSNL for the telco to become profitable and self-sufficient. BSNL has partnered with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to deploy 4G in more than 100,000 locations across the country. This should happen quickly as consumers will soon be looking for 5G in India. More and more consumers are buying 5G devices in the Indian market, and BSNL too should keep an eye on the launch of 5G NSA as soon as possible.
