The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Wait for phone exchange in Pattabiram continues

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 10, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Wait for phone exchange in Pattabiram continues

By N. Ravi Kumar

CHENNAI, MAY 9. The wait for an exchange by subscribers of Chennai Telephones at Pattabiram continues, almost two years after the organisation began the process for starting the facility in this fast-developing western suburb.

An exchange for the residents will ensure better voice quality on phones; reduce disturbance from external factors and the waiting time to get a new connection. It will also provide an edge to Chennai Telephones, over its competition, in terms of building its subscriber base in and around Pattabiram, officials say.

"Though the proposal (for the exchange) was mooted four years ago, Chennai Telephones rented out a premises for the purpose only two years ago," says T. Sadagopan, vice-president, Thandurai Pattabiram Consumer Council.

At present, the more than 2,500 subscribers in the area are being served by the Tiruninravur exchange. Having an exchange means more households getting wired connection — in its absence a few hundred subscribers in the suburb have been provided with fixed WLL (wireless in local loop) telephone — FWT. In such connections, the `last mile' is wireless which means lesser technical problems that occur in a fully wired line.

The voice quality on FWT connections, compared to a wired line, is relatively less. Senior officials of the Chennai Telephones confirmed this. Mr. Sadagopan claims "the voice clarity on FWT lines is less. Some of the households complain of disturbances from radio signals."

He said the waiting list for those seeking new connections in the area was getting longer. A new exchange would also reduce the time taken to repair faults — now the Tiruninravur exchange workforce attends to them.

K.B. Brahmadathan, chief general manager, told The Hindu recently that the need for an exchange in Pattabiram has not missed the attention of the organisation. According to him, internal work on the facility has been completed and it would be commissioned after upgradation of the external plant. Mobile phone signal towers would also be installed in the exchange.

He said instructions had been given to the officials to speed up work on the "OCB technology" exchange and provide pole-less solution — the cables will run underground — to the subscribers in the area.

Sources in the Chennai Telephones say the outdoor work — of laying the cables up to the consumer's premises — can begin only after finalisation of the contractors. A tender for the purpose is pending, they say.

The Avadi exchange will be the parent exchange for the new facility, with a capacity to provide 4,000 lines.

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