BSNL will credit money in your account for every voice call above 5 minutes

State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) said that it has rolled out 6 paisa cashback for making voice calls for its wireline, broadband and FTTH customers across India. Customers making calls of 5 minutes or more will be credited with 6 paisa cashback, the telco said in a statement.

“In an era of digital experiences, where customers are seeking quality services for voice and data. We want our customers to engage more with our upgraded Next Generation Network, experience the quality of voice call which happens on wireline, and also get incentivized for the same,” Vivek Banzal, Director CFA, BSNL said in a statement.

At the time when BSNL is struggling with its finances and the dipping number of subscribers, this latest move is expected to help the company gain more subscribers especially Jio users who are looking out because they are forced to pay 6 paise per minute as IUC charges for outgoing calls to other networks. There couldn’t be a better time than this for BSNL to announce the move.

The company said that it is taking several steps to better the user experience and this is one of them. BSNL may come up with similar more announcements in the coming over months.

Talking about the Six Paisa Cashback festive offer from BSNL, the telco says that it will offer cashback for making a voice call. This could also be seen as an indirect jibe at Reliance Jio, who recently announced a six paise per minute fee on voice calls after keeping them free for its subscribers since inception. As part of the BSNL offer, users have to make calls of 5 minutes or more to be eligible for 6 paisa cashback. As mentioned, these cashbacks are applicable for BSNL wireline, BSNL broadband, and BSNL FTTH customers.

“We want our customers to engage more with our upgraded Next Generation Network, experience the quality of voice call which happens on wireline, and also get incentivized for same,” said Shri Vivek Banzal, Director CFA, BSNL, in a statement.

Reliance Jio announced that it has decided to start charging six paise a minute to subscribers making calls to other mobile networks. This change is part of the Interconnect Usage Charge (IUC) rate fixed by TRAI. The new change is specifically designed for voice calls being made to other operators, while all Jio-to-Jio calls, incoming calls, and Jio-to-landline calls will remain to be available at no additional charge.

BSNL-MTNL revival package: The government has finally given a nod to the merger of MTNL and BSNL along with the 4G spectrum allocation to the two companies. The government plans to invest Rs 29,937 crore in this revival plan with the combined assets of the two companies worth Rs 38,000 crore to be monetized. BSNL and MTNL will raise a sovereign bond of Rs 15,000 crore for their revival.

BSNL free calls in Mumbai and Delhi: BSNL does not operate in Delhi and Mumbai but it has found its way to reach masses in these circles. The company has announced free calls to MTNL users. MTNL is the state-owned telco operating in Delhi and Mumbai circles. There are three plans – Rs 429, Rs 485 and Rs 666. The Rs 429 plan offers free call voice calling benefits on all networks including MTNL along with 1GB data per day for 81 days. The Rs 485 plan offers free calls and 1.5GB data per day for 90 days. The Rs 666 plan also offers free calling and same data benefits as Rs 485 plan but the validity is more. It comes with 122 days of validity.