BSNL suggests opening up interconnect exchanges

State owned BSNL has often been blamed for creating congestion in the networks for calls coming in from private operators. They serve the maximum number of telecom users in the country and have often faced problems with private operators on the issue of interconnectivity. As a result, the company has now suggested to the private operators of telecom services to jointly set up interconnect exchanges.

These exchanges would be dedicated to route telephone calls from one network to another allowing better connectivity for the end users irrespective of the networks they are connected to. As of now, the calls are passed on directly at points of interconnection between the two networks. This causes congestion when there are too many calls routed between the different services.

BSNL has recommended that at least one such interconnect exchange be setup in each circle. This cause is supported by the regulatory authority TRAI which claims that most problems faced by the mobile and telephone customers are due to congestion on the network when calling users on other networks.

However, these exchanges are pretty expensive and setting up each one of them could cost between Rs 100 crore and Rs 150 crore. BSNL is currently discussing these plans with the private operators and have claimed that the players in the market have supported their cause by supporting the initiative.