BSNL to slash STD call rates to Re 1  

NEW DELHI: State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is planning to cut
the STD rates from Rs. 2.40 per minute to Re 1, to woo its subscribers during
this festival season. 

BSNL sources said that the operator is planning to slash the STD rates up to
60 per cent of the prevailing tariffs. 

According to industry experts, the optimistic dream of targeting a major
chunk of subscribers through its OneIndia scheme failed to bring laurels for the
telecom operator with around 1.14 per cent of its total subscribers opting for
the scheme, made the operator to introduce a new business proposal by cutting
down the STD call rates. BSNL total subscriber base is 3.5 crore. 

BSNL source admitted that the proposal to reduce the STD charges is an
extension of the OneIndia scheme which failed to meet its targets. 

“The higher rental under the OneIndia scheme failed to attract subscribers.
Under a general scheme a subscriber is required to pay a monthly rental of Rs
180 compared to Rs 225 for the OneIndia scheme, which had hit this scheme,”
the source said. 

The board is planning to offer this one rupee per minute scheme for its
general subscribers. However, the operator is yet to finalise the structure of
the scheme to offer this rates for calls made within the BSNL network or on
general. The scheme is likely to be announced within this month. 

BSNL accounts for over 90 per cent of fixed line subscriber base in the
circles it operates.