The Hindu : Karnataka / Mangalore News : BSNL to give more mobile connections

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 24, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mangalore

BSNL to give more mobile connections

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE, DEC. 23. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) will provide eight-lakh more cellphone connections by June in the State. New connections will be given from February, the Chief General Manager of Karnataka Telecom Circle, S. Ramaganapathy, said here on Thursday.

Presiding over a function organised by Dakshina Kannada Telecom district to release its telephone directory for 2004-05, he said the Karnataka circle now has a capacity of 7.2-lakh cellphone connections and 6.42-lakh subscribers. Admitting to procedural delays in offering cellphone services as desired, he said these issues are being sorted out.

Stating that there has been a steady growth in the subscriber base for BSNL's CellOne service, he said a cellphone switching centre being set up here will give an impetus to the expansion on being commissioned. Two more such centres will be set up in Bangalore to complement those in that city and Hubli.

This step will bridge the demand-supply gap in issuing SIM cards. Noting that BSNL is forced to go in for Tatkal scheme to applications for SIM cards in Bangalore, Udupi and Mangalore, he said it is now operational in the two coastal cities. The Rs. 3,000 recharge coupon is valid for a year and BSNL did not charge any premium on the service, he said.

In addition, BSNL will set up 600 more base terminal stations in the State next year to give more cellphone connections. Fifty-nine of them will be in Dakshina Kannada. This will expand coverage to 92 towns and villages.

Noting that broadband services of BSNL will be launched in 198 cities in the country, he said 15 of them, including Mangalore and Udupi, will be in the State. Subscribers will get 256 kbps of Internet speed once the broadband service is commissioned.

The equipment needed for the service has been installed and it is being tested. Earlier, releasing the directory, the Chairman and Managing Director of Corporation Bank, V.K. Chopra, said greater connectivity spells greater economic success for the region.

The President of Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Ramdas Pai, who released the CD version of directory, appealed to Mr. Ramaganapathy to consider a request from people of Udupi for a separate telecom district.

The General Manager, GETIT Infomediary Ltd., K.D. Kini, spoke.

The in-charge Principal General Manager of the telecom district, I. Thiruvanukkarasu, welcomed the gathering.

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