BIA keeps BSNL call on hold

BIA keeps BSNL call on hold

All that the state-owned BSNL is demanding is a tower of its own so that its mobile phone customers can make and receive hassle-free calls at the airport. But the BIA is in no mood to relent, saying that the same rules apply to all service providers. This after the new airport owes its very existence to the government’s generosity!

By Debi Prasad Sarangi
Posted On Friday, October 03, 2008
Out Standing Out Standing Out Standing Out Standing Out Standing

Hello, hello, hello, helloo, helloooo S**t man! What the hell, the network signal is so weak here. If this has been your reaction while holding a BSNL mobile phone at the Bangalore International Airport (BIA), then blame it on the cat-fight between BSNL and BIA.

Ever since BIA was opened for commercial operations on May 23 this year, state-owned BSNL has apparently been treated in stepmotherly fashion by the BIA. With every inch in the airport commercialised, the telecom major has been denied space to set up a tower of its own so that it could provide hassle-free mobile service to its customers.

The BIA in fact has been intransigent in demanding that BSNL, like all the other service providers, install its own signal receiving equipment on the common towers by shelling out Rs 50 lakh. BIA has erected two towers and has instructed all the mobile service providers to install their equipment on these. BIA’s contention for not acceding to BSNL’s request is that too many towers will mar the aesthetics of the airport.

With the arguments going back and forth for five months, those who have patronised BSNL are at the receiving end and forced to put up with weak signals while at the airport. A senior BSNL official, who did not want to be named, told Bangalore Mirror: “We have held several rounds of talks with BIA and have told them very clearly that the amount quoted by them is quite exorbitant. It is not something which a public sector undertaking can afford to pay.”

BIA PLAYS HARD-TO-GET
But what has really irked the BSNL authorities is that BIA is not bothering to reciprocate the government’s magnanimity. The fact is that most of the land on which the new airport was built belonged to the government. Of the 4,391 acres handed over to BIA, a huge chunk of it belonged to the forest department and the remaining 2,593 acres was acquired by the government from farmers.

There is more: The government funding of BIA is Rs 434 crore excluding indirect support such as tax and cess exemptions; this is higher than the total share of the private promoters Siemens Project Venture, Unique Zurich Airport and Larsen & Toubro Limited. “Having got so much from the government, is it not ironical on the part of BIAL to ask us to pay for the tower,” the official asked.

However, a BIA spokesperson countered: “We have gone in for a common infrastructure platform, as approved by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to facilitate every service provider to ride on. Multiple service providers having their point of presence individually at the airport would mean creating their own infrastructure inside the terminal building and all ancillary buildings in the airport premises. This would not be feasible as it would mean installing multiple antennas and outdoor towers which would create clutter within the terminal and airport. Moreover, there are various constraints on height of tower and locations in a growing airport. So, a common infrastructure is the best answer for all stake holders (others being Airtel, Tata, Vodafone, Reliance and Spice). The terms, conditions and rates at the airport are uniform for all service providers. There exists a level playing field for all operators.”

But BSNL authorities are not convinced with this explanation. “We are trying to sail through this network storm by negotiating with BIA. We are telling the BIAL to scale down the annual rent from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 30-35 lakh. Private players might afford to pay BIA such a huge amount, but we cannot. Till the issue is resolved, we regret the inconvenience caused to our customers,” added the official.