BSNL satellite phones fail deep sea fishermen

Chennai: Deep sea fishing vessel owners in Chennai are a worried lot owing to several issues with BSNL satellite phone services. The phones, distributed six years ago by the govt for emergencies during fishing activities, are now crippled by SIM replacement delays and slashed talk time. Deep sea fishing boat owners’ association secretary B Muthukumar complained that when his SIM card got damaged recently, he was unable to replace it.

Compounding the issue, recharge costs have skyrocketed in the last five years.