Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is experiencing a surge in subscribers following recent tariff hikes by private telecommunications companies.

The state-run telco has seen a significant number of low-income and prepaid customers switching from private operators, curbing its consistent net loss of customers over the past months.

According to data shared by BSNL with the Economic Times, since the tariff hikes by Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea took effect on July 3-4, approximately 250,000 customers have ported to BSNL using mobile number portability (MNP). In addition to MNP users, BSNL has also added around 2.5 million new connections.

BSNL’s appeal lies in its affordable mobile tariffs, which remain unchanged despite the hikes by private players. For instance, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea’s minimum monthly plan with data and voice benefits now starts at Rs 199, while Reliance Jio’s plan starts at Rs 189. In contrast, BSNL offers a comparable plan at Rs 108 and several other monthly plans in the Rs 107 to Rs 199 range.