Government owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has in its latest initiative decided to provide OTT services to its users on the purchase of its broadband internet plans. The state run telecom company which used to have its virtual monopoly in the internet broadband market some years ago is facing stiff competition from private companies like Reliance Jio and Airtel which are offering high speed internet packs at affordable price. The latest decision taken by BSNL has been taken by the company not only to retain its old customers but also wrest new customers from its private rivals.
As part of its latest decision the company is giving customers a choice to get access to various OTT benefits by purchasing an OTT-add on pack. For the first three months, the company is providing the access to Voot Select, SonyLIV Special, Yupp TV Live, ZEE5 Premium, Yupp TV FDFS(First Day First Show), Yupp TV Movies, Support and other services at a cost of just Rs 129 for a month. After the passage of three months, the customers will be charged at a cost of Rs 199 for a month to get access to all the add-on OTT benefits. Customers should also note that the recharge plan does not include the Goods and Services Tax and the price of the packs will increase marginally after the inclusion of the GST.
BSNL has said that its broadband OTT add on pack will be available in all the circles and customers will be able to recharge the add on pack from January 18. While BSNL’s decision to offer access to a bundle of OTT platforms at such a low price seems attractive, one should not forget that its rivals including Reliance Jio and Airtel are also offering similar OTT benefits without even charging any extra amount. In addition to the add-on OTT broadband internet plans, the company already offers access to Disney+Hotstar premium with its select fiber broadband plans starting from the monthly recharge cost of Rs 779 a month.