BANGALORE: The Bangalore Telecom District (BTD) of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) plans to utilise the short messaging service (SMS) to provide cellphone users information about its landline services. The BTD is to be the first BSNL unit to offer the facility.

BTD officials told The Hindu that the facility would be launched shortly.

Information on landline bills and dues payable by subscribers will be made available through SMS.

The facility can also be used for directory enquiries, for finding out STD and ISD codes, and registering complaints about landline services. The status of complaints can also be known by using the facility.

Although queries regarding bills and unpaid bills, fault registration, status of complaint, directory, public utility services and changed numbers are limited to the BTD's nine lakh landline telephone connections, the information can be obtained by all 15 lakh BSNL mobile subscribers in the Karnataka Telecom Circle, the officials said. Landlines in the rest of the State will be brought under the system in phases, they added.

For billing inquiry, an SMS should be sent to "BILL" and "consumer number" to 1500 for details such as bill amount and due date; "UNPAID" and "consumer number" for unpaid bill inquiry; "COMPB," "telephone number" and fault type "1" if the phone is "dead", "2" for instrument fault and "3" for miscellaneous fault to get an acknowledgment and the docket number; "COMP" and telephone number to know the status of a complaint; "DIR" and "telephone number" for the address of a subscriber of a particular telephone number; "PU GRP" and "group name" ("HOS" for hospital and "AMB" for ambulance) for get details about hospitals and ambulance services; "CHN" and "old telephone number" to get a changed telephone number, and "STN" and "name of the place" to get STD/ISD code.

As of now, queries will be charged at normal SMS rates. However, it is technically possible to make SMS to 1500 (BSNL call centre) free, according to officials.

Details are available from the BTD's website, http://www.bangaloretelecom.com.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail