BSNL to shutdown loss-making telephone exchanges

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BSNL is about to shut down the telephone exchanges that incur losses as landline connections plummeted without getting customers. At least 100 of the 1230 telephone exchanges in the state may have to be closed soon.

In the first phase, exchanges with very few land line connections will be closed. As part of this, connections will be changed from copper line to optical fiber. With this, BSNL will no longer have to provide land line connection. BSNL's optical fiber connections are provided by a private company in the state. There are a total of 5.40 lakh optical fiber connections and 3.70 lakh land line connections in the state.

At the same time, BSNL is in massive financial collapse. Five circles, including Northeast Task Force, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, fell into losses during the July-September quarter. Kerala circle, which had been continuously earning revenue, also fell into losses, which was a setback for BSNL. Out of the total 32 circles, 14 suffered losses in the first half.

Setback in the mobile phone sector

BSNL is also facing a setback in the mobile phone sector. According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data, the total mobile connections in the state decreased by 1.64 lakh to 4.22 crore in April 2023. VodafoneIdea saw a decline of 1.15 lakh and BSNL 1.10 lakh connections. Meanwhile, Jio added 49,000 subscribers and Airtel added 12,000 new subscribers in Kerala. Most of the migrants depend on Jio. Mobile Number Portability (MNP), which allows users to switch telecom providers without changing their number, was used by 1.2 lakh people in March.