GUWAHATI, Oct 15 ? BSNL mobile (CellOne) customers, both in the city and elsewhere in the State, are having a harrowing time with severe congestion affecting the network for the past couple of months. BSNL authorities, however, have asserted that things would be put in order very soon and from next month onwards, the customers can expect a much improved service.
Things have, of late, deteriorated to such an extent that getting response from a BSNL mobile has become a rarity, with the invariable recorded reply of ?busy network? or ?out of range? greeting the caller. ?I had opted for BSNL mobile because I thought it would give me better services with its much wider reach. But in reality I have become cut-off from others as it has become very difficult for people to get access to my mobile,? an aggrieved customer said.
Same is the case with thousands of other customers. ?People cannot reach me, and I cannot make a call at my will. What is the use of carrying a cell? For a reporter, the CellOne service has been a total letdown,? PK Das, a city-based journalist complained.
When contacted, the BSNL authorities admitted the poor performance of the existing network but said that steps had already been initiated to improve the situation. ?Things will definitely improve by next month,? AK Bhattacharya, General Manager (Mobile), BSNL, Assam Telecom Circle, claimed.
Attributing the network congestion in the city to the additional pressure from the roaming mobile users and to those who had obtained their connections from outside the city but were actually staying in the city most of the time, Bhattacharya admitted that those aspects were not taken into account but ?we are streamlining the situation by increasing our radio network capacity and configuration.?
He said that 300 more BTSs would be installed throughout the State by next July, while two-three BTSs were coming up in the city in the next two weeks. ?The installation process has also been hampered by the recent floods and the consequent disruption in road links, and the inclement weather to a great extent,? he said.
At present, the State has 1.22 lakh CellOne users of which the city alone accounts for over 47,000. As part of its efforts to improve mobile connectivity in the State, the BSNL will be providing 2.5 lakh new lines during the fourth phase, of which the city will get the lion?s share, Bhattacharya said.
Regarding complaints about late delivery of bills and anomalies in bills, Bhattacharya said that with the introduction of facilities like electronic clearance (ECS) and e-bill through post offices, the customers would be relieved to a great extent.
?The ECS has already been started and we are entering into an agreement with the Department of Posts shortly for e-biling,? he said, adding that all complaints about bill anomalies were being looked into. ?Customer feedback is important for us as it gives us the chance to improve on our services,? he said.