THE MEDIA NEWS

BSNL will become leading operator

 again: CMD

  

Dharamshala: State-run BSNL is
expanding network capacity and it will become a leading telecom
operator again, its Chairman and Managing Director R K Upadhyay
 said Monday.

"We lagged behind other private companies, as we could not purchase
 the required equipment in the last 4-5 years due to many reasons.
Now everything is OK and tenders to purchase has been floated,"
 he told reporters here.

"BSNL has planned a Rs 40,000 crore capital for the purpose,"
he added.

He also said that the company is emphasising on converting present 
telephone exchanges into New Generation network NGN, to give 
all mobile facilities to land line subscribers.

"29,000 such exchanges shall be converted to NGN of which 28,000
 are in the rural sector," he said.

On cutting costs, Upadhyay said the PSU is awaiting government's
 approval for offering VRS to employees.

"BSNL is spending 52 percent of its capital in employees salaries
as compared to other competitive companies who are just
spending 5-6 percent," he said.

On resumption of network in flood-ravaged Uttrakhand, he
 said: "70 telephone exchanges were affected in Uttrakhand 
tragedy and only 7 are to be restored now.. All the 
400 towers are now working there."

He said that BSNL could respond to 4000 calls to
 give last location of lost persons through their cell
phones record in last seven days.

He also said that the remote areas of Himachal shall be 
connected through Microwave so that fibre cable 
disconnection in bad conditions could be avoided.

PTI