The government said in Parliament on Friday that telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited ( BSNL ) will start 4G service by the end of this year and with this, the quality of service of the telecom company will also improve.
Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan gave this information in reply to supplementary questions during Question Hour in Rajya Sabha.
He said that the government has taken several steps to improve the condition of the company. Chouhan said that the government had also announced a package in this regard in October 2019, after which 70 percent of the company's employees took voluntary retirement. Referring to the various steps taken, he said that the government has also given permission to the company to acquire land and take money from the market.
During the Question Hour, many members had complained that the service of BSNL was pathetic. Regarding the introduction of 5G service in the country, he said that the government has recently allotted spectrum to four companies on a pilot basis and the necessary investigation process in this regard is about to be completed.
Govt asks TRAI to guide
Chouhan said that the government has also asked telecom regulator TRAI to guide the process so that the spectrum can be auctioned.
He said that 5G service is expected to start in the country by the end of the year. He said that telecom service is available in India at the lowest rate in the whole world.
He said that in 2014 the average data consumption was 1GB per month which has now increased to around 15GB. He said that the prices of data have come down significantly and once it was priced at Rs 270 per GB, which has now become around Rs 10 per GB. Apart from this, the calling rate has become almost free.
let us tell you that work is being done to merge Bharat Broadband Nigam Limited (BBNL), Mahanagar Telephone Limited (MTNL) with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).
Regarding this merger, the Parliamentary Committee said that first a Special Purple Vehicle (SPV) should be formed. MTNL's debt and assets, which is about Rs 26500 crore, should be merged with BSNL's operations only after transferring it to this SPV.