When BSNL chose Udumbanchola in Idukki district to introduce 4G for the first time in India, the local residents were not taken by surprise. Already familiar with the super speed of other 4G services like Reliance Jio and Airtel, they were, however, pleased as well as proud that the high range town had been given the honor by BSNL, which had postponed its 4G launch several times.
With the glamour of 4G, Udumbanchola attracted national attention and was a topic of discussion among tech enthusiasts. One reason for the selection of Udumbanchola was that BSNL’s subscriber base has been very strong in Idukki.
4G yet to reach mobiles
BSNL has equipped five towers – at Udumbanchola town, Kallupalam, Mayiladumpara, Senapathy and Chemmannar – with 4G facility. However, with local BSNL subscribers yet to switch to 4G micro SIM cards, the service is now confined to the towers. BSNL started issuing new SIMs a couple of days ago, but there have been very few takers as all people already have at least one connection.
BSNL, drawing inspiration from a film dialogue, “Be latest even when late,” is coming up with attractive offers to woo customers. That Idukki district has been loyal to BSNL even after Jio caused a stir in the state, gives it confidence.
Idukki’s opinion counts
The response of Udumbanchola and nearby towns to the introduction of the new service is crucial for BSNL’s plans to expand the service across the country. The opinion of users will help BSNL bring about the necessary technical changes before introducing the service to other areas. BSNL chose a rural area for launching 4G as part of the Central government’s Digital India programme.
In Udumbanchola, 2G towers are being upgraded to 4G. The place was selected as it had a large number of 2G towers, which provided the right conditions to conduct the trial.
After Udumbanchola, which is under the Rajakumari Sub Division, BSNL 4G will reach all corners of Idukki by year end.
Smart hill town
Though it lacks big towns and malls, Idukki district has always been smart. 4G offered by other mobile operators is widely prevalent. As an area with several tourist spots, all mobile companies have set up towers. Smartphones of all brands, including Apple and Samsung, are common here. Idukki district has BSNL’s widest optic fibre network. There are many subscribers for BSNL’s broadband service also. Idukki residents can now flaunt their BSNL 4G status before all big towns and metros – at least for a year.
Read: Idukki News | Kerala News
