ANANTAPUR: In a bid to attract young customers (students),Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced an attractive package in the festive season. By introducing the "student power" scheme, previously available only as post-paid, in the prepaid category, BSNL has offered free unlimited SMS facility.

Talking to newspersons here on Monday, General Manager of BSNL Anantapur Telecom District Md. Nayeemuddin stated that free unlimited SMS facility under the prepaid student power would be a major motivating factor for the students to opt for BSNL network. Improving customer base with attractive offers was the prime agenda now, he said.

Waiver offer

Response to installation charges waiver offer given in August was highly encouraging with nearly 2,500 new connections during the month against a regular flow of about 700 connections. Installation charges of Rs. 500 in urban areas and Rs. 300 in rural areas were not collected for new connections issued in August. It was likely to be extended further.

Similarly, the offer of 10 paise per minute call charges to any two BSNL landline or one landline

and one cellular connection in the circle for Excel and CellOne connections had also reduced the rate of disconnection drastically. Reduction of Excel/CellOne starter packs by 50 per cent, from Rs 224 to Rs. 112, offer of full talk-time on all recharge cards till September 23 were also received well by customers, he claimed.

Excel Ananth

There was also an offer to re-activate Excel Ananth, lifetime incoming free connections, which were disconnected due to non-recharge every six months with top-up recharge cards. Such customers could visit the customer service centres and give their willingness for reconnection to enable the BSNL to re-activate them. The customers need to recharge within one week of re-activation. The offer was valid for 90 days from September 11.

Stating that there were dues of about Rs. 7.8 crores in the district from defaulters, the BSNL was offering varied discounts from 10 to 20 per cent on repayment, depending on the period of default. Of the Rs. 5.8 crore dues from landline customers Rs. 3 crores was in Anantapur town itself. Another Rs. 2 crores was due from CellOne (post-paid) customers.

The BSNL was planning to set up cellular towers in all villages with more than 2,000 population to bring the entire district under coverage in due course. Presently they had 81 towers and two more would be added by the month-end.

Similarly, they were planning to set up 48 towers for WLL services. They had 20 at present and five more would be added soon.

Free centrex facility (intercom) was also being offered to residential apartments and commercial complexes for free unlimited talk among BSNL landline customers there.

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