The state-owned telecommunications company, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), has announced that every village in Arunachal Pradesh will be connected through a mobile network once its 4G project is completed in June 2025, and that network-related issues will be resolved. That is a bold and reassuring statement coming from a public sector undertaking that has struggled for years and been completely overrun by private sector giants like Reliance Jio and Airtel.
While the BSNL was once the most reliable source of mobile and landline connectivity, today its presence is increasingly diminishing in the face of competition. Arunachal, which once completely depended on the BSNL, has a different story to tell – one of a sorry state of affairs. The BSNL is no longer the reliable source of connectivity, as incompetence has led to its near annihilation in the state, with the state favouring private players. In the border and interior areas, the BSNL was once the dominant player, even after the advent of private players. However, the BSNL’s inability to cope with the competition has led to its exit from most of the border areas of the state. Private players have reached areas where the BSNL has yet to expand, even in these strategically important locations. This highlights how PSUs have failed while private players have taken the lead, both with the support of the state.
During a meeting of the Telecom Advisory Committee, Member of Parliament Tapir Gao while assuring to provide necessary support to provide electricity connection to all the necessary BTS sites spoke about the 36 inaccessible sites along the Indo-Tibetan border that are yet to be connected. This is a serious issue that needs correction, as it is directly linked to national security. Only time will tell whether the promise of providing connectivity and resolving network issues will actually be fulfilled in the state. BSNL may need additional support to complete the project on time. As of now, it still remains a struggling PSU that has lost the game to private players, primarily due to its extremely unreliable network and complacency.