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9. National Telecom Policy (NTP) 99 does not envisage recovery of any license fee from BSNL (then DoT) in respect of its fixed line services. In respect of GSM line services the license fee was to be paid by BSNL but the same was to be fully reimbursed being a National service providers having immense rural and social obligations. BSNL has been paying the license fee in respect of basic services and cellular services also. Accordingly, BSNL has suffered a total financial loss of Rs. 39,200/- Crores up to 31.03.2015. Further it is facing the recurring financial loss of Rs. 1200 Crores per annum on the payment of license fee and Rs. 1750 Crores towards USO contribution per annum contrary to NTP’99. Union Cabinet approved the National Telecom Policy-2012 (NTP-2012) on 31.05.2012. The Cabinet also approved introduction of Unified License and authorized the Department of Telecommunications to finalize the new Unified Licensing regime with the approval of Minister of Communications & IT. The policy has benefited the Private Operators but nowhere any preferential treatment to BSNL/MTNL has been offered being the State own PSUs. The merger and acquisition policy should not be for enabling trade in license and spectrum by the unscrupulous players’ quick profits. 10. It is understood that certain authorities in Govt. believe that Rural Operation of BSNL are in fact profitable. It is with this laughable and irresponsible attitude that recommendation of TRAI for paying a compensation of Rs.750 Crs. for the period upto July, 2014 has not been yet implemented, whereas BSNL has been incurring the expenditure even with borrowing at high interest cost. Similarly, Rs. 18,500 Crs. were arbitrarily and in an unfair manner taken away from BSNL and Govt. even after the decision of refund of Rs. 4700 Crores BWA Spectrum Charges to BSNL is still dragging its feet on refund of BWA Spectrum pending charges about Rs.3600 Crs. 11. BSNL has been requesting to DoT for financial support in order to make its wired line services/rural telephony financially viable by compensating the losses of Rs. 44,000 Crores incurred by BSNL due to difference in ADC which was admissible to BSNL earlier. Despite repeated requests by BSNL Management to DoT, this has not been made good. BSNL has continued to render services in unviable rural remote and difficult areas. Now ADC has been stopped all together. BSNL being 100% control Govt. PSU, it can’t go to the Govt. against Govt. decisions even if they are not favorable to BSNL. Whereas, the Private Operators have liberty to approach TDSAT against Govt. decisions. For example Private operators have gone to TDSAT against the CAFs related penalties and have been given relief. Such reliefs have not been made applicable by DoT to BSNL. 12. At least one correct diagnosis has been made regarding the problems faced by BSNL, which has been aptly put in words by Dr. D.P.S. Seth, former CMD of BSNL, who stated that “Whenever BSNL needed equipment most, it was not available due to interference. As a result, BSNL’s market share in GSM has been slipping. At one stage BSNL was almost in the number one position in terms of subscribers.” Today, it stands at the No. 5 slot (Bharti Airtel, Vodaphone Essar, Reliance Telecom, Idea, BSNL) in the mobile market. The private operators commenced operations in GSM Mobile Services in 1996 in accordance with National Telecom Policy formulated in 1994. After formation of BSNL in Oct 2000 the Govt. of India permitted BSNL to offer GSM Services only in year 2001-2002. BSNL could roll out its GSM Mobile services on 19th October 2002, within a short duration of three years BSNL managed to acquire number two slot in market share in GSM Mobile services in the year 2005 and remained at number two position for around two years. Subsequently Tendering Process for procurement of GSM Mobile Equipment was held up due to Court cases followed by delay at the level of Ministry of IT and Communications in granting necessary approvals. This caused considerable delay in procurement of GSM Equipment for BSNL. The episode of the Tender of 45.5 million GSM lines is still fresh in our memory and it is a glaring example of interference. The Government wanted to cancel the Tender. Only after prolonged agitation by all the BSNL Unions/ Associations in July 2007, the Ministry allowed BSNL to place order for 50% of the quantity of the approved Tender i.e. 23 Million GSM Lines. Had the Tender been cancelled in full then Market share of BSNL would have been in a far worse situation. Again the Government cancelled the Tender for 93 Million GSM lines floated by BSNL more than four years ago and twice floated 5.5 Million GSM line tender. Cancellations of these Tenders have affected the supply of GSM Equipment’s and expansion plans of BSNL. The 15 million GSM lines tenders could be finalized with the great efforts of our CMD, BSNL Sh. Anupam Shrivastava the then Director (CM) which has given relief in North and East Zone. But West Zone is suffering due to M/s ITI un-helping attitude. TELEWAVE Page-16 AUGUST-2015