Never ending conspiracies to kill BSNL..

It seems the conspiracies to kill BSNL never end. In the past, BSNL’s equipment procurements have been stalled many times, which had greatly affected it's network expansion. A similar attempt is being made now also.

An industry body called TEPC (Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council) is the latest villain. As a result of it's complaint, the tender floated by BSNL on 23rd March, 2020, for procuring 50,000 4G mobile sites, has it roadblocks. The TEPC has objected that BSNL's tender conditions have made it impossible for the domestic vendors to participate in the tender. One such condition is that, the previous experience of having set up 20 million subscriber mobile network. The TEPC has also objected that procuring equipments from MNCs will pose a danger to “National Security”. Further, the TEPC has argued that, BSNL should give opportunity to the domestic producers, since public money is involved in the Company's revival. All these objections raised by the TEPC are untenable due to the following reasons. 

1. BSNL is procuring 4G equipments utilising it’s own money and not using public money. 
2. Even now, Airtel has entered into a one billion dollar contract with Nokia, for procuring 4G equipments. No objection was raised by TEPC on that contract. Why BSNL alone should be targeted? 
3. Why BSNL should be compelled to use low quality 4G equipments of local vendors, when private companies like Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea are using world class equipments supplied by multinational vendors like Nokia, ZTE, Ericsson, etc.?
4. 100% equipments of the private telecom companies have been supplied by MNCs. If there is no threat for national security in that, then why the threat of national security is being raised in BSNL’s case alone?