The BSNL Unions have shot off a letter to the Prime Minister blaming European and American equipment vendors for derailing BSNL’s mobile rollout plans.

“Complicity of these vendors and formidable possibility of their acting at the behest of BSNL's competitors, which are sourced by these vendors, also cannot be ruled out.

The Sanchar Nigam Executives' Association said the equipment vendors including Motorola, Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN), through their frivolous complaints to various courts and investigating agencies have delayed procurement of mobile network equipment by BSNL since 2001.

 “It does not need a meticulous analysis to conclude that vendors like Motorola, Ericsson, Nokia, etc, have been acting in tandem with the competitors of BSNL, from time to time, depending on their hidden and sinister business interest, to completely wipe out BSNL from telecom business.

“The moot point, however, is that they are largely successful and greatly encouraged to stall equipment procurement because of unabated political patronage and uncalled for bureaucratic interference,” said Mr G.L. Jogi, General Secretary, SNEA, in his letter to the Prime Minsiter.