The Department of Telecom (DoT) is considering various options for a merger of the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) and Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL).
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Reliance Jio signs pact with BSNL for mobile tower lease
Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIL) has signed a deal with state-owned telecom firm BSNL for leasing around 4,000 mobile towers. As per the deal, BSNL will be offering a base rate of Rs 38,000 per month
BSNL-MTNL in pact with ONGC
BSNL and MTNL have inked a five-year pact with ONGC to provide all telecom services to the state-owned oil firm on a pan-India basis.
Merger of BSNL, MTNL, ITI
The proposal to merge the three telecom public sector undertakings BSNL, MTNL and ITI could be one of the first things that the new government could be undertaking. According to sources in the Department of Telecom (DoT), a note for the consideration of the government to this effect is being drafted.
Mobile towers project in naxal-hit areas affected by wrong estimates
Progress in the Rs 3,046-crore mobile phone towers project in naxal affected areas across nine states is stuck due to wrong estimates by the Department of Telecom.
BSNL to select vendors to set up towers in naxal areas
BSNL is likely to open the financial bids for the tender to set up mobile towers in the states affected by naxal violence.BSNL had floated the tender in August for supply, installation, testing, operation and maintenance for five years of 1,315 sites of 2G GSM network in left wing extremist (LWE) areas of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal.
BSNL needs Rs 40,000 crore in 5 years
BSNL in an estimate said that it needs to invest around Rs 40,000 crore in the next five years to become profitable. In order to retain its market share, BSNL is required to provide 182 million connections by 2017-18,
Cabinet nod for telecom towers at naxal-affected states
The Cabinet cleared setting up mobile towers at cost of around Rs 3,046 crore in nine states affected by naxal violence to improve communication. State-owned BSNL will set up towers at 2,199 locations in the nine states in next 12 months, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said after a Cabinet meeting.
Tower and cables installation
BSNL has earmarked 100,000 lines of mobile capacity for expansion in Chhattisgarh Telecom Circle in its mobile expansion plan.
SPV to build broadband network
A special purpose vehicle (SPV) with equity participation from BSNL, MTNL and other public sector units such as RailTel, Gail and PowerGrid, amoÂng others, will undertake the 20,000-crore project to build a national broadÂÂband network to take high-speed internet to the hinterlands.

