First Broadband connection in Durg and Bhilai

It was May-2005. Hot and humid like hell. We were in Bhilai. It is a township built on the Laterite soil of Chhattisgarh and this township is huge. All the residential colonies and sectors cut in squares with so many streets leading to the single and multistory houses built on either sides. Everywhere you go, you can see the red Laterite soil covering the side patches of roads.

We had been working for last couple of months on planning and setting up the Broadband network around Durg, Bhilai area. Durg is the district headquarters of Bhilai and an old city. To set up the Telecom network, three main exchanges were chosen in the first phase to start delivering ADSL broadband connections. Durg main exchange area was one of them. Another exchange area chosen was of Bhilai Sector-1. Bhilai being an industrial township for Bhilai Steel Plant, it is a cosmopolitan township. People from all over India work in the plant. Rolling out ADSL broadband network was the most important and the flagship project and it was a very important project for me as Technical manager. It was being rolled out as part of the National Broadband Internet Program of BSNL.

As the first broadband switch was turned on in Durg, my DGM called me, "We have already received considerable number of applications from customers. There is this first application from Padmanabhpur, from a Sardar Ji. Can you come down to my chamber?"

There was some kind of meeting going on in his chamber but I was given the priority attention. I was almost always given priority attention in his chamber. The reason might have been that either I always jumped straight onto the point or broadband was on top priority.

Anyway, he said, "Here is the list of applications. Figure out the feasibility and start activating the connections". I picked up the list and left his chamber. I had no idea what all I had to do at customer's home... In fact no one had. Me and a TTA, Sachin, were all that we had for a team. ADSL broadband was a newly formed unit...which was not even officially formed yet. The role and post was created later on.

About 2-3 months back, I had myself requested our GM for this broadband project's responsibility when this all hustle about National Broadband Internet Program had just started. He had verbally agreed and so I was everywhere when it came to broadband network for last couple of months. I had been busy arranging healthy fibers, arranging floor drilling for equipment set-up, setting up patch panels & ladders and runner frames and and running call kind of cables.

We had just finished the MDF module installation and wiring in Durg exchange. Till that moment, there was no mention of any dedicated business process for fault management or managing customers of Broadband. Not that I had any problem with that rather I always believed that things will take shape when we get into the process. I believed that processes will settle down in coming months. We had no office or seating space for broadband unit and we had done a sort of 'incursion' into the transmission room and set up a single table and chair to start our office.

There was no training till that moment for broadband. Me and Sachin, went in the MDF room and completed the wiring for Sardar Ji . We just hoped that the wiring went all good as we had no way to test it. We decided, 'Lets go to customer's home and see how it goes'. It was the first customer installation and a whole new learning experience for us.

Me and Sachin had become quite comfortable with each other in a short time. Every morning we would huddle to plan the tasks of the day, arrange our tools & paperworks etc, pick our bikes and would leave for our destinations. Our destinations were everywhere, roadsides where optical cables were being laid or spliced, exchanges where Internet switches were being installed, transmission rooms where fiber testing was being done. On the way, just outside our office, we would stop for a small energy break of tea or seasonal juices. Mostly we used my bike as I loved to drive and Sachin didn't. In the evening, we would plan for the next day at another roadside 'gumti' and I would drop him at his home. That was the routine for last couple of months.

When MDF wiring was done and we were about to leave for the installation at customer's home, I called Mr Sardar ji to book a suitable time. He said, "Come along straightway. I have already got the router from your office so you dont need to bring one for me and, I have setup the wiring and connections as well".

In the name of an 'Installation guide', I had only discovered one leaflet which came along with the router's packing box and yes, there was a CD as well. So, theoretically I knew how to install the broadband connection but no exposure to any practicals yet.

We took onto our bike, braved heat and dust and reached Padmanabhpur. On the way, we stopped at a roadside stall for sugarcane juice. I loved Sachin's energy, dedication and ownership of the tasks at hand. When he joined with me, he had told me, "I am ok with work, just take care of any politics". I had said 'ok' but I had no idea how was i going to 'take care of politics' since I had asked the same from my senior....

Sardar ji welcomed us at the door. He took us to the first floor where he had an office sort of, some kind of chartered accountancy firm or something else which I don't remember exactly. We noticed that he had nicely done the copper wiring, made connections and had powered the router on. I thought, "this was our role and, I don't know how to demonstrate the internet". Sachin also looked at me, "Sardar Ji is smart. He has already done it all". Sardar ji, apparently, was not aware about our predicament.

Sardar ji offered us tea and said, "I have already done internet testing as well. Thanks for taking care of the connections in the MDF".

He was a thorough gentleman. Actually, he showed us "How I made the connections". And, that was the whole "good" part, at least for us. In this explaining, we learned almost everything about it, breaking, changing, setting it again. He had just came back from US where he had used ADSL broadband.

When we were done, he asked if we can make it 'always on' and if we can convert this in wireless. That was not possible in those initial launching days. But, with our awareness about the future phases, I told him that we can help him with wireless conversion in a month or so. We delivered on our promise in a month.

After our first customer installation, which was done by the customer himself, we were experts of ADSL Broadband. That was the last piece of the challenge to be solved in the overall process. After that, we were in full speed. On the other hand, applications were also in full speed. We were operating from field and most of the things were being managed over phone. Sometimes we accepted applications from new customers verbally over phone and activate the connection immediately if we are in the area. Later on, we would help customer with the application and payments and on the third visit, we would hand over the receipts to customers. While going onto our daily routine, we always carried spare routers and application forms in our bags.

But, after a while, the number of applications were huge in numbers and BSNL had to hire the services of couple of local agencies to deliver and install broadband routers. We were also working in the field along with them. We got two office assistants to help manage and plan the whole operation and also handle the new applications and faults.

Many stories happened during this project. We made great personal relations with customers but we had some unpleasant moments as well. Sometimes we were told off by customer and sometimes we lost our patience as well.

I remember an incident when I rebuked a customer, unintentionally though. When we visited his home for router installation, they were not at home and the maid let us in. We installed the router and called the customer in the evening to check on the internet connection working or not. I explained the steps and finally he clicked on the 'connect' button on his desktop. It only flicked for moment and then the dialogue box disappeared. He said, "It just flicked and nothing happened". I was probably very tired and it was almost 9 pm, and also, I had a long list to call. So, I snapped, "It's not TV that you press the remote button and it will start streaming channels". He just said, "I will call my wife, she is aware about these things". I felt bad and apologized later on.

Another customer once said, "No, my connection is not done today, but I am happy that you guys are actively enquiring about the status of my application". This was when I was doing my daily routine status call to pending list.

While moving from one sector to another, once Sachin said that there is an old couple in Sector-9 who can not come down to exchange. He thus said," They got my number from another customer and had called me in the morning". I said, "Ok, lets go and see. We are anyway on the way". The grandpa's name was Mr Usha. They had their son in US and wanted to do e-mails with him. Granny made us tea. They were excited for many reasons. They were old and were not going out much, also they were not visited by many, it seemed. So we understood that we have to provide very personalised service to this couple in future, which was actually done. We went to their home couple more times and were welcomed with great pleasure on each occasions.

In all these things, the broadband incharge, i.e. me had no broadband at his home. Moreover i was supposed to send a status report each day to our GM. We have had about 100 customers till that time in Durg and had identified couple of faulty ports. I was desperate for broadband at my home. I decided to re-do the wiring for one of the faulty ports and relay it to my home. And, that's what I did..... Browsing internet and pre-checks every morning became easy.

Till about 4000 customers, we had not any proper fault management process so all the customers used to call me direct on our phone numbers. And, due to the copper cable conditions being poor, largely all across India, there used to be lots of faults. ADSL is a sensitive signal for copper wires. Later on, there was a project for copper cable replacements which laid down new copper cables and home wiring was also done, which improved the conditions for much better. Also, the broadband fault management process was put in place.

It was very important project in my career and I took it with too much enthusism. I gave all my energy to it. It was like a child to me. All the switches, routers and fiber patch cables were so much familier to me.

Today I think, it was the enthusism and excitement of all those customers, such as Sardar Ji, The Lady in Nehru Nagar, Mr Usha, Mr Pabla, which encouraged us in BSNL to work delicately and tirelessly to achieve the highest growth rate and highest number of connections in Chhattisgarh, India.

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