Reliance Jio and BSNL have signed an intra-circle roaming agreement for 2G and 4G services. According to a PTI report, once the agreement has been finalized, BSNL customers will be able to use Jio’s 4G services when roaming, while Jio subscribers will be able to use BSNL’s 2G network to make voice calls.
BSNL Chairman and Managing Director, Anupam Shrivastava stated, “We are focused on creating value for our customers through expanding our outreach as well as strengthening our network capabilities, especially in terms of quality. This agreement should benefit both our customers and create a strong, seamless support for both the networks.” Just last week, Shrivastava called Jio’s entry into the telecom market a “challenge” for all operators, but expects BSNL to match Jio “tariff-by-tariff.”
This deal also comes at a time when Jio having a tussle with the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI). As per reports, the COAI had written a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stating that the incumbent telcos were not obliged to provide interconnect points to Jio. Reliance Chairman, Mukesh Ambani had also criticised the functioning of the association, especially its democratic nature. COAI’s Director-General, Rajan S Mathews responded by saying that the comments made with reference to the functioning of COAI were incorrect and misleading.