'BSNL unable to compete with pvt telcos without 4G, 5G, check tariff hike'

State-run BSNL is unable to compete with private telecom operators in the absence of 4G and 5G services due to which there is no restraint on mobile service providers from raising tariff, BSNL Employees Union said on Tuesday. BSNL Employees Union in a letter to the union communications minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that the recent tariff hike by the private telecom operators Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel is unwarranted as they are profitable companies. "Earlier, due to the competition from BSNL, the private telecom service providers were restrained from increasing their tariffs capriciously. However, the scenario has changed now. BSNL has not been able to launch its 4G and 5G services till date, as a result of which it is handicapped from competing with the private operators and thereby restraining their arbitrary tariff hikes," the letter said. Recently, all three private operators announced an increase in mobile service rates in the range of 10-27 per cent. While new tariff