BSNL, the state-owned telecom company, has set an ambitious goal to set up 1,00,000 new 4G mobile towers by mid-2025 as part of its efforts to improve its 4G network. Recently, they announced on social media that their 4G service is now operational in more than 75,000 locations. However, this expansion comes at a time when the company is struggling to keep its customers, as many people are leaving for other providers.
According to a recent report from TRAI for December 2024, BSNL lost around 3,22,000 customers. Fortunately, this loss was somewhat better than November, where they lost around 342,000. By the end of December, BSNL had about 91.7 million subscribers. Many customers have raised concerns about frequent call drops and network issues, which contributed to their decline in subscribers after a brief period of growth.
The government has recognized these problems and is taking steps to improve BSNL's network reliability. The company has made significant improvements to its infrastructure to offer faster internet and better service for its users. They have also installed 30,000 new backup batteries to ensure that services stay running even during power outages, and more than 15,000 power plants are now in operation to support their network.
Despite these efforts, BSNL is facing challenges with customer retention due to recent price hikes, leading to a loss of about 300,000 subscribers in November and December alone.
Meanwhile, BSNL has introduced new plans to stop its users from migrating to other networks. The plan is priced at Rs 750 and is valid for six months, but it’s only available to specific users. This plan is designed for customers in a particular category who haven't recharged their accounts in over a week. They have 165 days to take advantage of this offer.
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