GUNTUR : Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has given a pleasant surprise to all its DataOne broadband Internet subscribers by enhancing the connectivity speed from last year's 256 kbps to 2 Mbps without charging anything extra.

With the dawn of New Year all the subscribers were heralded into a new era of high-speed Internet with online video conferencing and on-demand video viewing has become a cakewalk for subscribers with upgraded computer hardware. If you do not believe this test it online with a speedometer like: http://promos.mcafee.com/ speedometer/test_0600.asp.

It came as a surprise for many as not many had read about the announcement about 20 days ago and BSNL authorities were also wary of giving it wide publicity as it would further push the demand for broadband connections in the districts putting pressure on their meagre resources.

In Guntur district there were 1,935 DataOne connections working as on Friday with a waiting list of 1,313 people to be brought on to this bandwagon and general manager (Telecom) M.S.R. Sarma told The Hindu that they were trying their best to further expand the capacity by procuring additional equipment as early as possible.

Widening reach

The expansion of broadband nodes has been proposed at three places in Tenali and three exchanges in Guntur city - Z.P. Road, Patnam Bazar, and 16 other exchanges in the district at Krosuru, Macherla, Piduguralla, Vinukonda, Bapatla, Repalle, Mangalagiri, Ponnuru, Sattenapalli and Chilakaluripet during 2006-07.

Cellular network in Guntur city, which had overcome initial ups and downs, was working with 16 towers, while another 75 towers were installed elsewhere in the district and work was in progress to expand the network in city with nine more towers in the near future and 54 all over the district as a step further to achieve carpet coverage of the district, he said.

Even all the naxalite-infested places like Ipuru, Pamidipadu, Dachepalli, Machavaram, Durgi and Veldurthy would very soon get Wireless in Local Loop towers in addition to the 16 working in rural areas and 6 in Guntur city. Proposals were sent for setting up 23 more of which 6 were sanctioned.

It was also offering 25 per cent additional talk time on recharge of pre-paid cellular connections with a value of Rs.2,000 and above and it was finding it difficult to cope with heavy demand for the Plan 123.

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