BSNL to lap up Tata’s JK clientele

Srinagar, Jan 22: The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has decided to lap up the entire clientele of Tata Teleservices Limited in Jammu and Kashmir as the latter wound up its operation in the state from January 18.
The state-owned corporation is in the process of finalizing the procedure of paving way for shifting of TATA subscribers to BSNL.
Tata Teleservices closed its CDMA-based services in several circles including Jammu and Kashmir with effect from January 18. “Most of its (Tata’s) customers may like to continue their mobiles /EVDO data services. The customers have choice to migrate to BSNL CDMA or GSM using MNP,” General Manager, BSNL writes in a letter to CGMs, BSNL JK, North East circle. Copy of the letter is with Greater Kashmir.
The letter further reads: “Most of the customers also like to retain the CDMA handset/EVDO data card. In such cases they will be required to migrate to BSNL, CDMA mobile service either through MNP or subscribe as a new customer. In case of EVDO data card it will be a new subscription,” it reads.
Sources said the BSNL and Tata Teleservices have signed non disclosure agreement for the purpose.
Pertinently, Tata Docomo, India’s leading telecom company, wound up its operations in Jammu and Kashmir rendering hundreds of youth working with the company jobless and thousands of subscribers in lurch.
Earlier the company withdrew its bid for spectrum allocation for Jammu and Kashmir and some other circles.
The company had launched its operations in J&K in 2008. It was required to update its licence by November, 12, 2012, by getting spectrum, which it has failed to do.
The company had directed its distributors in J&K not to issue any fresh connections both for mobilephone or Tata Photon internet. However, it had asked them to continue providing service to the existing customers till January 18.
The company’s employees working in the state had been served with three-month notices after which their services had been asked shall be deemed to have been terminated.
According to sources hundreds of employees working with the company in J&K have been rendered jobless. They include those working in sales, operations and services.
According to sources, the company had more than one lakh pre-paid and postpaid mobile and internet subscribers in the state.
“The company was doing a good business in the state and the turnover was also quite good, but the decision to wind up came as a surprise to us,” said one of its franchisees.

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