ZEE Business
ZEE BUSINESS
हिंदी में पढ़ें  हिंदी में पढ़ें
Live TV
Live TV
  • Home
  • Personal Finance
    • PPF
    • Mutual Funds
    • Income tax
    • EPFO
    • Income Tax Calculator
    • Personal Loan Calculator
    • Car Loan Calculator
    • Home Loan Calculator
    • SIP calculator
    • SWP Calculator
    • MF Returns Calculator
    • Lumpsum Calculator
  • India
    • Companies
    • Property
    • Startups
    • Uidai
  • Economy
    • Aviation
  • Tech
    • Mobiles
    • Apps
  • Auto
    • Cars
    • Bikes
  • Markets
    • Commodities
    • Currency
  • Railways
  • World
    • Economy
    • Politics
    • Markets
  • videos
  • photos
  • MSME Summit
  • Trending News
    • Viral News
    • Travel
    • People
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
  • More ...
    • VIDEOS
    • PHOTOS
BREAKING NEWS
  • No more work from home for this tech giant employees, sets September 5 as deadline - details
  • Good news for government employees of THIS state - DA hiked by 3% - details
  • Mumbai gets 10 more AC local trains - check timings, full schedule and route
  • No more work from home for this tech giant employees, sets September 5 as deadline - details
  • Go Digit General Insurance IPO coming soon: Fairfax-backed firm files IPO papers with Sebi
Read in App
Business News » India News

Garg Action Plan-IV: Privatise BSNL/MTNL, lower 5G auction base price

Even as the Government has just pumped in about Rs 69,000 crore of revival package in two ailing state telcos -- BSNL and MTNL, former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg has hit out at their presence in the industry seeking they should be privatised and 5G spectrum auction price should be lowered.

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • whatapp
  • View in App
Garg Action Plan-IV: Privatise BSNL/MTNL, lower 5G auction base price
Subhash Chandra Garg was very critical of BSNL and MTNL and said they should be privatised. Image source: Reuters

Even as the Government has just pumped in about Rs 69,000 crore of revival package in two ailing state telcos -- BSNL and MTNL, former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg has hit out at their presence in the industry seeking they should be privatised and 5G spectrum auction price should be lowered.

He has also said the sector has no profitability left and the sector is in near-collapse despite enormous scope for growth in both voice and data. "There is a very delicate situation in the telecom sector. Profitability of the sector is finished. Telecommunications sector -- voice and data -- has almost unlimited scope to expand at very low consumer prices meeting vital consumption and business needs of almost the entire population and businesses.

Watch Zee Business Live TV here:

"Demand is expanding at geometrical rate so is the potential of supply. Yet, the sector is in crisis and near-collapse," the ex secretary said in a report weeks after his exit from service .Garg sought absence of government in the telecom space as a player. He said the telecom sector is investment intensive and can see enormous investment and contribute to India`s growth ambitions only if the incumbents are not driven to death and real competition in services is enhanced. Sector also needs to see complete transition from Government presence as a player.

Garg was very critical of BSNL and MTNL and said they should be privatised. "There is no likelihood of BSNL and MTNL surviving for long. Nor do they need to survive. These should be privatized, with or without merger. Extra personnel can be transferred to a surplus cell and paid their regular salaries until retirement (those who can be re-deployed should be re-deployed in Government or other PSUs). Extra debt and all extra Land & Buildings should be demerged into a company which should be transferred to and managed by the National Land Management Corporation," he said.

In an indirect dig at high spectrum pricing in India he said 5G spectrum should be auctioned by fixing up a low reserve price, after making sure that its` side-effects on the health of people, if any, are fully mitigated. "It is more important and in the larger interest of people and the country that the 5G services get rolled out than what the Government might get as revenue.

"Considering the fact that data will be central to the digital economy of the future, public policy should enable fiber optics to be laid all over the country. Government can support its roll out from the Universal Service Obligation Fund.

"Availability of telecom and data services at low and competitive prices would serve the cause of building national economy much more than the revenue it might yield. There is a lot of merit in not looking at telecom sector as a revenue generator any more," said the former DEA secretary.

 

Get Latest Business News, Stock Market Updates and Videos; Check your tax outgo through Income Tax Calculator and save money through our Personal Finance coverage. Check Business Breaking News Live on Zee Business Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube.

TAGS:
BSNL
Written By: IANS
Updated: Fri, Nov 08, 2019
09:24 am
IANS
RELATED NEWS
BSNL-BBNL Merger: In exclusive conversation with Zee Business, Telecom Secretary Rajaraman decodes advantages- Details here BSNL-BBNL Merger: In exclusive conversation with Zee Business, Telecom Secretary Rajaraman decodes advantages- Details here
Union Cabinet clears $20.5 billion revival package for loss-making BSNL Union Cabinet clears $20.5 billion revival package for loss-making BSNL
BSNL to migrate 30,000 WiFi hotspots to PM-WANI framework by June: DoT official BSNL to migrate 30,000 WiFi hotspots to PM-WANI framework by June: DoT official
Government plans to merge BBNL with BSNL this month: BSNL CMD Government plans to merge BBNL with BSNL this month: BSNL CMD
TCS-led consortium bags Rs 550 cr order for deploying 4G gears in BSNL network TCS-led consortium bags Rs 550 cr order for deploying 4G gears in BSNL network

LATEST NEWS

PNG, CNG prices slashed by up to Rs 6; check new rates

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max color options leaked? All you need to know ahead of September launch

Wealth Guide: Income Tax - SMART TIPS! 5 tax-saving techniques for FY23 - Here is what expert suggests

Petrol, diesel demand continues to decline: What's triggering fall in consumption

ONGC share price drops 2.5% despite highest Q1 net profit – What brokerages recommend

Uber charges Noida resident Rs 3,000 from Delhi airport to home - here's what happens next

Bharat Gears share price zooms 17% after bonus announcement – check details

Bihar Cabinet Expansion Today 2022: Portfolio Allotted - Full List of Ministers | Who got what?

SBI launches its first dedicated branch for start-ups in Bengaluru

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max release date, price, specifications, color options - What to expect during September launch

  • India News
  • World News
  • Companies News
  • Market News
  • Personal Finance News
  • Technology News
  • Automobile News
  • Small Business News
  • Income Tax Calculator
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Author
  • Rss Feed
  • Advertise with us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal Disclaimer

Latest Trending Updates

  • EPFO
  • Budget 2020
  • Income Tax Return
  • Auto Expo 2020
  • Home Loan
  • Business News

Trending Topics

  • Income Tax
  • income Tax Calculator
  • 7th Pay Commission
  • Reserve Bank of India
  • GST
  • Latest Business News

Follow us on

zeebiz
zeebiz

Partner Sites

  • Zee News
  • Hindi News
  • Marathi News
  • Bengali News
  • Tamil News
  • Malayalam News
  • Gujarati News
  • Telugu News
  • Kannada News
  • DNA
  • WION
© 2022. India Dot Com Private Limited. All Rights Reserved.
LIVE TV