Government 'Serious' About Fixing BSNL Mobile Call Drop Issue: Prasad

The government is "serious on the issue of mobile call drop" plaguing BSNL and is taking steps to address the problem, Union Minister for Communications and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Thursday.

"We are serious on the issue of mobile call drop of BSNL. Steps are being taken to address it... A meeting on it has been held at the departmental secretary level. Additional spectrum has also been given," Prasad told reporters in Patna.

The Minister said he spoke to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) to decide whether there could be any incentive for ensuring that mobile call drop does not happen.

He also said 35,000 new mobile towers have been planned across the country to address the call drop issue.

"Of the 35,000 mobile towers, we have already installed 12,000 in the last one year," he added.

Prasad said the financial health of BSNL is improving with the NDA government at the Centre.

"BSNL had achieved a profit of Rs. 10,000 crores in 2004 when the NDA government was there. It showed a loss of Rs. 8,000 crores after 10 years when the UPA government's tenure got over in 2014. The telecom company has now added 47 lakh new customers and its revenue is up by 2 percent in the last one year during our government at the Centre," he added.