Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 5 (IANS) State-owned telecom operators Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) have lost over 5,84,261 and 55,605 customers respectively as on June 30 after mobile number portability (MNP) was introduced in the country, the government said Friday.

Number of subscribers who ported out of the BSNL and MTNL networks stood at 9,33,750 and 67,198 while those porting in the network included 3,49,489 and 11,593 subscribers respectively, said Milind Deora, Minister of State for Communications and IT, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

The government launched the MNP services across the country on Jan 20, 2011, allowing all mobile phone users to switch operators without changing their numbers.

Both BSNLa nd MTNL have been taking various initiatives to retain their subscribers, including measures like forming special cell to contact customers and address their grievances, forgoing porting fees from subscribers coming into BSNL network and increasing points where customers can make payments.

The companies have also reduced the tariff rates.

The minister added that the market shares of the two telephony PSUs have also been declining during the last three years.

While the market share of BSNL stood at 18.98 percent as on March 31, 2009, it stands at 13.37 percent as on June 30, 2011. MTNL’s market shares slipped from 14.64 percent for Delhi and 20.21 percent for Mumbai as on March 31, 2009, to 9.62 percent and 12,17 percent respectively as on May 31, 2011.