Hemant S. Borale, Principal General Manager, BSNL Mangaluru, addressing a press conference in Mangaluru on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: H.S. MANJUNATH
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced discounted plans under its ‘Freedom 2.0’ scheme to mark the 80th Independence Day.Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, BSNL’s Dakshina Kannada Telecom District (DKTD) Principal General Manager Hemant S. Borle noted that as a special offer for Independence Day, new BSNL SIM cards can be purchased for ₹1 from August 12 to September 12. A new connection offers 1 GB of data and 100 SMS per day with unlimited free voice calls for 24 days.A ₹2,399 plan has also been announced for mobile phones, offering unlimited calls, 2 GB of data, and 100 SMS per day with a validity of 412 days.The Principal General Manager said BSNL currently has more than 4.75 lakh mobile phone customers in the DKTD, who utilise 42 TB of data per day. Nearly 700 mobile towers are operational across the telecom district. Mr. Borle said 89 new 4G base transceiver stations (BTS) have been successfully installed in remote and inaccessible villages where there is no network from private operators.The 4G technology being deployed by BSNL has been developed under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Around 60% of the 4G network rollout in the district has been completed. He said the network would be upgraded to 5G once the 4G infrastructure is fully in place.Broadband offerMr. Borle said customers who opt for a new fibre broadband connection will get free service for the first month. There will be a ₹100 discount for the next three months (₹399/month), and from the fifth month onwards, the regular ₹499 plan will be applicable.The existing copper wire connections are being replaced with fibre optic cables. He assured that network issues in Sullia and other rural areas would be discussed with the Mangaluru Electricity Supply Company (MESCOM) and resolved soon.BSNL officials, including Krishna Muger, Business Head; V. Viji, Finance Advisor; and Mamatha, DGM (Operations), were present. Published - August 13, 2026 08:28 pm IST
