From Sanjay Borkar in Margao
for Daijiworld News Network - Goa

Margao, Dec 16: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), having more than 70 thousand mobile customers in Goa, are facing the network congestion problem, as a result of  which some of the customers have already shifted to other Networks.

Although BSNL has launched so many attractive packages to its customers, most of them do not work. "I was a customer of BSNL, but I shifted to other, as there are so many problems with it. If I want to call one person, it gets connected to another person. I call it “Magic package’’, which never comes in reality," said Pramod Acharya, Goa correspondent of CNN-IBN news channel.

When contacted, BSNL deputy general manager (commercial & marketing) of Yogender Singh Sisodia refused to give any information.

It is being said that since the Goa network was diverted from Pune to Kolhapur mobile switching centre, this problem has arisen.

The Pune mobile switching centre has the capacity of providing service to 4 lac customers, but the Kolhapur MSC can give service to 10 lac customers. But still the problem has not been solved.

According to sources, earlier when the MSC was in Pune, Goa network was directly connected to it, but now when someone calls it is connected first to Kolhapur then to Pune MSC and then to the person whom the calleprevailed.

Some sources told this correspondent that BSNL does not have interconnectivity with other networks, because of which, customers, while calling other networks, face problems in getting connected. Also it is said that since the MSC for Goa is changed, the basic data configuration is also not done at Kolhapur.

BSNL also have launched GPRS service in Goa, but it never gets connected. Customers have to struggle to make the required data settings to be done on Mobile, as there is no competent officer who has the knowledge in GPRS technology. Customers having laptops also do not get connected to GPRS service, because of lack of officials' proficiency.

Whenever someone tries to call from a BSNL mobile, he does not get the ring tone or hear the voice the person he called. But the other person receives the calls and tries to answer and the bill is metered. At least four times person faces the same problem and then he gets connected. In effect, for the sake of a single call he will pay for five calls.