BSNL announces satellite phone for Rs 1.34 lakh

State-run BSNL on Thursday announced the availability of a satellite phone for Rs 1.34 lakh, part of its push to expand satellite communication services to defence, maritime and disaster-response users. In a social media post on Thursday, BSNL mentioned that the satellite phone is priced at Rs 1,34,166 apiece, including all taxes, and has been designed for challenging environments, offering voice calls and SMS services in remote areas not covered by conventional mobile networks.

“When conventional mobile networks can’t reach, the BSNL Satellite Phone keeps you connected. Designed for challenging environments, making it an ideal solution for Defence, Maritime, Disaster Response, Mining, Remote Operations and Adventure Travel,” the BSNL social media post displaying the price of a satellite phone said. Users can contact the nearest BSNL office for more details, the telco said while sharing a mobile number in the post. The mobile number, however, was not responsive.

“As Always. No one is responding to the above Given Number,” a verified account holder on X commented on the post.  An email query sent to BSNL did not elicit an immediate response. In February, an official statement said that BSNL had been providing voice call and SMS services through the Global Satellite Phone Service (GSPS) to the general public and private enterprises since January 1, 2018.

According to an official statement dated February 11, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued the instructions on June 12, 2017, in respect of the provision of satellite-based services, which inter alia mandated that BSNL is required to complete the customer acquisition process prescribed for mobile connections, as amended from time to time.

“BSNL shall also obtain from the subscriber the details such as place of use, period of use and the purpose for which the satellite handset shall be used. Additionally, the GSPS service is inherently a secure communication as information is transferred in encrypted form,” the statement had said.

BSNL’s satellite phone postpaid plans were available for government and commercial entities at fixed monthly charges of Rs 3,500, Rs 5,835 and Rs 11,670, offering 16, 30 and 60 minutes of free talk time or SMS.

BSNL has been charging Rs 3,500 per month with free talk time of 20 minutes or Rs 38,500 per annum with 240 minutes free talk time for pre-paid plans for government entities, while commercial entities could avail a monthly charge of Rs 5,835 with 30 minutes free talk time or Rs 64,185 per annum with 360 minutes free talk time.

Post free minutes, government entities are charged Rs 18 per min or per SMS, while commercial entities are charged at Rs 25 per minute or SMS.

According to the statement, additional recharges or top-ups for prepaid plans are available in denominations of Rs 200, Rs 500, Rs 1,000, Rs 5000 and Rs 10,000.