BSNL Says No To Free Unlimited Calling: Report

BSNL has always been known for its consumer-centric moves such as offering extra internet data, tying up with OTT players, and other benefits. However, the company has now removed the unlimited calling service from its prepaid plans.

The operator has come up with a new strategy where it has applied a calling cap on prepaid plans including costing Rs. 186, Rs. 429, Rs.485, Rs. 666 and Rs. 1,699. Following the move, users will only get 250 minutes per day for calls and once the limit is over, they'll need to have to pay 1 paisa per second, reports TelecomTalk.

This will be till midnight, after which the daily limit will be restored automatically. Also, if the 250 minutes are not utilized, then the leftover minutes will not carry forward as legacy balance.

The operator has been very aggressive in terms of launching new plans and revising the old ones, but the company is under immense pressure due to an intensive tariff war among other telcos. And now, the telco has taken a bold step which might not go well with the customers.

This is not the first time that any company has taken such a step; earlier Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio put a calling cap on daily calls. Airtel and Vodafone did the same thing earlier, but later removed the voice calling cap. As all telecom operators are trying hard to lure the customers by offering services like free calling and more data at the same price.

Our Thoughts

Even though BSNL is suffering from the financial crisis, the company is taking many initiatives to repay its debt such as monetizing its assets in Mumbai and Delhi. The company has also submitted the proposal to telecom ministry for consideration.

The State-run telecom operator is also planning to provide 8Mbps speed to its customers. But one should not forget that the operator still lacks 4G, while other telecom players are more focused on providing 4G services to their customers.