BSNL sees surge in customers as competitors, including Jio, hike rates in Kerala

Pathanamthitta: In a surprising turn, the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has seen a surge in new subscribers following recent tariff hikes by private mobile service providers. Companies like Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone-Idea (Vi) have faced criticism for increasing prices, leading customers to switch to BSNL.

At the national level, the trend is noticeable, but Kerala has seen the deepest impact. Post the tariff hikes, more customers are joining BSNL than leaving. Figures reveal that from July 10 to 17, while 5,831 subscribers departed BSNL, 5,921 joined from other networks. During the same period last month (June 10-17) in Kerala, 8,444 subscribers left BSNL, while only 1,730 people switched to BSNL from other companies.

SIM porting is when subscribers change mobile service providers. After the introduction of porting, there have been few incidents reported where BSNL has seen more people joining than leaving. 

Malappuram district leads the State in new BSNL subscribers during this period, with 1,107 people joining and only 49 leaving for other networks. In contrast, Pathanamthitta recorded the lowest influx, with only 167 subscribers opting for BSNL.

Private companies initiated tariff hikes from July 1, triggering this shift in subscriber behaviour. BSNL has capitalised on this opportunity, launching campaigns to attract dissatisfied customers from its competitors.

Meanwhile, industry experts had indicated that the recent increase of 15-20% in mobile tariffs for prepaid and postpaid plans by telecom service providers (TSPs) could potentially boost the industry's operating profits by approximately Rs 20,000 crore once the hikes take full effect.

Following these adjustments, Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio are expected to experience notable improvements in their average revenue per user (ARPU).