Unfair tariff increases and ministerial obstacles

State-run telecom giant BSNL is grappling with its inability to compete with private telecom operators due to lack of 4G and 5G services, leading to uncontrolled hike in mobile service tariffs, BSNL employees’ union revealed on Tuesday.

In a letter to Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, the union cited the recent tariff hikes by Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel as unnecessary given their profit margins. “Earlier, the presence of BSNL prevented private telecom companies from arbitrarily increasing their tariffs,” the letter said. “However, without 4G and 5G, BSNL is not in a position to curb such hikes.”

The recent tariff hikes range from 10% to 27%, and while Jio and Airtel have already implemented the new tariffs, Vi’s hike will be effective from July 4. The union argued that these hikes, which are meant to increase average revenue per user, are not justified given the high profits of Jio and Airtel. “This steep hike will have an adverse impact on common people,” the union said, urging the government to take immediate action to facilitate BSNL’s competitive capabilities.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)