BSNL launches free roaming from today

State-run BSNL launches free roaming, starting Monday, which allows all its mobile customers across the country to receive incoming calls at no cost.

"Now BSNL mobile customers will not need to carry multiple SIMs and handsets during roaming. They are free to talk as long as they want without worrying of any charges during incoming calls. In fact, it is like a dream of One Nation One Number' coming true", BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava said in a statement.

One June 2, Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had announced that the telco would be launching free roaming scheme from June 15.

The company also clarified that it has not received any communication from sectoral regulator Trai regarding the roaming scheme.

"We have not received any such communication from Trai. BSNL has announced this scheme with the consent of Minister of Communications & IT", Ravi Shankar Prasad who himself had announced it in a press conference held on June 2.

"TRAI has no objection to it", Shrivastava said. BSNL had a mobile subscriber base of 7.72 crore as of March-end.

Prasad on Sunday said that the public telecom operator BSNL is putting up 5,000 Base Transceiver Station (BTS) towers across the country to provide better services to its customers.

"BSNL is putting up 5,000 BTS towers across the country to provide better services, of which 1,250 will be established in Bihar to improve the communications network in the state, especially in the interior areas," Prasad told reporters.

(With PTI inputs)