BSNL Reduces SIM Replacement Amount By 50%: Reports

BSNL has come up with a new offer where it will be charging Rs. 50 for replacement or changing of SIM Card. The operator has slashed the prices by 50 percent, for this service. Earlier this year, the company increased the prices of SIM replacement to Rs. 100.

The new move comes straight after the company imposed a calling cap of 250 minutes per day on prepaid plans.

Here Are The Details:

It is worth noting that BSNL used to charge Rs. 10 for SIM replacement earlier, but then increased it to 100. This move was not appreciated by the subscribers, reports TelecomTalk.

However, this is only a promotional offer and will be available until October 31 in all circles where the company is operating, the report added.

BSNL Reviews Outsourced Functions

The operator has started an exercise to 'streamline' outsourced functions for saving up to Rs 200 crore annually and also hopes to rationalize power bills to derive 15 percent cost savings.

The public sector utility faces a gap of about Rs. 800 between its monthly revenues and expenses, reports PTI.

Meanwhile, both BSNL and MTNL delayed payments of salaries for February until mid-March due to the financial crisis, however, the company had said that it used internal accruals to clear the wages.

On the other hand, the Department of Telecom is working on a rescue plan for both BSNL and MTNL.

Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad earlier informed in the parliament that BSNL's loss is estimated to be around Rs 14,000 crore with a decline in revenue to Rs 19,308 crore during 2018-19. The public sector firm's provisional loss was Rs 4,859 crore in 2015-16, Rs 4,793 crore in 2016-17, Rs 7,993 crore in 2017-18 and is estimated to swell to Rs 14,202 crore in 2018-19.

Our Thoughts

BSNL has been very aggressive in terms of launching new plans. And now the company has launched its 4G services in Andhra Pradesh. So this move will help those who want to upgrade 3G SIM into the 4G network. This doesn't guarantee a beneficial future for the company and could take years for BSNL to come out of the debt