Kandhamal: BSNL towers overloaded, services hit

PHULBANI: Notwithstanding better infrastructure and subscriber base, BSNL services have been irregular for the last few months in Kandhamal.“There is too much load on the existing towers affecting signals,” said Telecom District Engineer (TDE) P Damodar.With an aim to provide better services to its cellphone subscribers, BSNL had installed 43 Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) in Kandhamal telecom circle, of which 13 are in Boudh district and 30 in Kandhamal. In Phulbani town alone, there are four BTS and two mini BTS having a range of 500 metre radius.Besides, 19 more towers have already been installed in the circle in the last two years. “The newly installed towers are yet to be put to use following delay in the processing of the tender by the higher authorities due to the telecom scam,” said the TDE.The existing towers are unable to bear the load of the over two lakh customers in the telecom circle. The congestion problem would be solved once the 19 towers are made operational, he added.Landline users: Another issue faced by BSNL in the district is the decline in the number of landline users. Due to shortage of staff, the BSNL is unable to attend to the complaints regarding landlines resulting in the loss of customers, said Damodar. There are 5,000 landline subscribers in the district. The TDE also suggested that the customers should opt for wireless broadband, ‘Y Max’ that was launched last month. It is three times faster than the normal broadband, he added.