BSNL Offers Mobile Validity Extension, Rs. 10 Talk Time Recharge to Users Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on Monday announced that it is extending the validity of mobile subscribers till April 20 so that users "continue to receive incoming calls". The free offer applies to those users whose validity expired after March 22. The decision was announced by state-owned telecommunications company to provide relief to those affected by the novel coronavirus pandemic lockdown. The company also announced that it is giving free talk time of Rs. 10 to all prepaid subscribers whose balanced reached zero during the lockdown period.

This was also reiterated by Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to ANI on Monday. During his interaction, the Union Minister said: "Prepaid SIMs of BSNL will not be discontinued till 20 April. For outgoing calls, a Rs. 10 incentive has been provided automatically from today, so that poor people and needy people [must] continue to work".

Last week, several tech giant and telecommunication companies announced measures for its users amid the nationwide lockdown till April 14. The lockdown was announced by the government to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. For instance companies such as OnePlus, Realme, and Huawei announced extension of the warranty period to ease customer service. Similarly, telecommunication companies such as Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have launched new tools for COVID-19 self-diagnosis.

Meanwhile, BSNL in a note also urged users to 'go digital' for recharging their accounts. "BSNL firmly stands with its subscribers during this crisis period and we request the subscribers to "Go Digital" for recharging their accounts," Praveen Kumar Purwar, CMD, BSNL said. BSNL users looking forward to recharging online can use the MyBSNL mobile app, BSNL website and other popular wallet services.

Before the announcement of lockdown, BSNL had launched a "Work@Home" promotional broadband plan to offer Internet access to its landline customers for free of cost. The decision was again implemented to encourage citizens to work from home.

How are we staying sane during this Coronavirus lockdown? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.