Latest BSNL News

Started by sajiv, Jul 22, 2008, 10:49 AM

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sajiv

BSNL to offer free landline caller tunes

CHENNAI: BSNL Chennai Telephones will offer landline caller tunes free of charge for its customers for a 15-day period from Tuesday. Customers served by EWSD/5ESS exchanges will be informed through outbound dialler mode and will have a pre-set song as playback ring tone, a release said.

Subscribers could change the song by dialling 56700 to download the song on prevailing tariffs. The monthly rent for the service is Rs.30 for two songs which would play in shuffle mode. Download charges for songs are Rs.12 for premium and Rs.9 for other songs.

:agree

sajiv

BSNL commissions 14 mobile towers for Vellore, Tiruvannamalai

VELLORE: The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Vellore, has commissioned mobile towers in the following locations to improve cell coverage in Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts:

Long Bazaar (Vellore), Poosimalaikuppam, Marapanthangal and Dhamaraipakkam (Arni sub-division), Old Telephone Exchange at Tirupattur, Kottamadavu and Sathanur (Chengam), Melarasambattu (Gudiyatham), Chetpet, Melsozhankuppam and Padavedu (Polur), Amburpet (Vaniyambadi), and Hasnamapet and Thennangur (Vandavasi).

According to a release, the BSNL a 20 per cent discount would be offered on rent for six months from the date of activation to all new broadband customers during the festival offer period, valid till October 31. One Kurinchi SIM card and one Mega Super Plan SIM Card of Rs.498 value would be available for Rs.200 in BSNL-authorised franchisees and showrooms in Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts till October 31.

The BSNL is organising an exhibition in connection with its eight anniversary celebrations at Elegant Rararajeswari Thirumana Mandapam, C.C. Road, near the telephone exchange in Kaniyambadi on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to seven p.m. Customers could register for new phone connections and broadband connections and get BSNL SIM cards at reduced offer rates at the exhibition.

Customers could also pay their outstanding dues with special discounts and get reconnection.There would be a lucky draw, with the winner getting a Nokia mobile phone.V.P.S. Kalaimani, chairman of Kaniyambadi panchayat union, would inaugurate the exhibition under the presidentship of P.T. Mathew, General Manager, BSNL, Vellore, on Friday.

The fifth adalat of BSNL is scheduled to be held in the first week of November. BSNL customers have been requested to send their grievances to V.S. Muthukumaran, Divisional Engineer (PR), office of the General Manager, BSNL, Vellore, before October 29.


sajiv

BSNL union's three-day convention from today

HUBLI: Secretary of the Karnataka Circle's BSNL Employees' Union C.K. Gundanna has said that the union will oppose any move by BSNL to go for IPO as it is aimed at disinvestment.

Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, Mr. Gundanna said that BSNL was still the leader in landline and mobile phone services in rural India.He said that the union felt that the move was aimed at disinvestment and it would oppose it.

Although the Union Government had clarified that it had blocked the move, it was nothing but a ploy to avert immediate opposition, he alleged. He said that these issues and others would be discussed at length during the three-day circle-level "branch secretaries' convention" of the union to be held from Friday at Rayapur near here. General Secretary of BSNL Employees' Union V.A. Namboodiri would inaugurate the convention.


sajiv

BSNL bill payment

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The services to BSNL post-paid mobile subscribers who have not paid the October 2008 bill will be disconnected on Friday, an official press note said here on Thursday.

:agree

dwarakesh

BSNL festival offer

TIRUNELVELI: As a festival offer, the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has announced extra talk value on top-up cards to prepaid customers in addition to the increased talk value, already announced for prepaid recharge coupons.

According to the General Manager, BSNL, Tirunelveli Telecom District, V. Raju, full talk value of Rs. 225 will be available for top-up cards with face value of Rs. 200. Similarly, full talk value of Rs. 562 will be available for top-up cards with face value of Rs. 500.

This special offer will be valid up to January, 5, 2009, Mr. Raju said.

Source: The Hindu

sajiv

BSNL new plan

Visakhapatnam: BSNL, AP Telecom Circle, has announced new post paid plan "Plan-995 Platinum" from October 28 as a Deepavali and AP Formation Day gift to present or prospective customers.

Under the new plan, all calls in AP BSNL are totally free and STD is at Re.0.1 in BSNL network, Besides reducing international roaming charge to Rs.49, it also reduced national roaming charges, says BSNL Visakhaptnam District General Manager in a press release.

Besides, full talk value on top-up vouchers is offered during the festival season from October 22 to January 5, 2009. A Rs.500 card costing Rs.562, inclusive of taxes, gives a talk value of Rs.562 and a Rs.200 card costing Rs.225 a talk value of Rs.225. For details, contact 1991/1500.


dwarakesh

BSNL registers 85,000 new subscribers

BSNL Bangalore Telecom District has registered 85,000 new landline subscribers in the last six months compared to the six months period of the previous year.

Talking to newspersons here today Principal General Manager Shubendhu Ghosh said there was about two lakh broadband subscribers out of the total of nine lakh land line subscribers.

The department planned to increase the broadband connections from the present 30 per cent to 50 per cent in future, he added.

Mr Ghosh said the Bangalore region registered new landline connection at an average of 14,000 a month.

He also announced a slew of offers from the department for landline, broadband and mobile users on the occasion of Diwali and Rajyostava Day for the people in the city and its surrounding areas under its jurisdiction.

sajiv

BSNL offer in Mangalore

MANGALORE:
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. has offered to waive off certain charges and provide some freebies for fixed telephone and broadband connections.

A BSNL press statement here on Wednesday said that the Dakshina Kannada Telecom District, which includes Udupi district, has offered two packages for fixed landlines. Under the first package, customers who register and get a connection between November 1 and 10, installation charges of Rs. 500 would not charged.

In the second package, customers could get a "Call now" card worth Rs. 500, although the normal charges of installation would apply. The new broadband subscribers would get a waiver of installation charges while they either purchased or hired a BSNL modem. In addition, they would get a "Call now" card worth Rs. 300.


sajiv

Customer-friendly offers from BSNL

VIJAYAWADA: Users of BSNL broadband, who have been holding uninterrupted broadband accounts from May 1 to October 31, will be allowed twice the downloadable data that is normally available under their plan.This offer is one-time Diwali bonus offered by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for November only. A user with Home 500 plan having 2.5 GB of free download limit can download 5.0 GB absolutely free.

A new scheme has also been introduced for the post paid CellOne users from October 28. Under 'Plan 995 Platinum' scheme, all calls to BSNL landline, WLL and mobile phones within the State are free. All calls to other operators' telephones in the State are charged at 0.40 paise a minute.

All calls to BSNL landline, WLL and mobiles out of the State are charged at 10 paise a minute. All calls to telephones of other operators outside the State are charged at Re. 1 a minute.The 225-power pack scheme has become quite popular in the recent past, say the BSNL officials. The mobile users under this scheme can choose five BSNL mobile or landline numbers for which they will be charged less. The scheme will be in force till November 25.


VelMurugan

BSNL lowers rates for Saarc nations

After a lull, the telecom tariff war may resume once again, with BSNL reducing ISD call rates by up to a third of the existing rates.

BSNL has reduced ISD tariff to some of the Saarc nations like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Pakistan from mobile as well as fixed line phones.

A BSNL official said the decision for selective ISD rate cut is based on traffic elasticity.

The next round of cuts could be for calls to the Middle East and West Asian countries, he said. From BSNL cell, under the Postpaid Plan 725, calls to Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Pakistan would cost Rs 9 per minute instead of the existing Rs 10, and from other post-paid plans and prepaid ones, call charges would be Rs 9 per minute instead of Rs 12.

The drop in charges is in the range of 11-33 per cent. For BSNL fixed line users, call charges to these four countries would now be Rs 9.60 paise per minute for a 7.5 second pulse.

Source : IndiaTimes

dwarakesh

BSNL launches web conferencing

Public sector BSNL today launched its Web Conferencing which would enable audio, video and image transfer facility to its broadband customers.

Explaining the salient features of Web Conferencing, BSNL Karnataka Principal General Manager Subendu Ghosh said audio, video and image transfer could be done at the same time through this facility.

'It will revolutionalise the Web Conferencing system in the country,' he added.

He said the Web Conferencing, launched in collaboration with Communication Experts Private Limited (CEPL), would be provided free of cost for one month to the BSNL broadband customers.

The CEPL was the technology provider for the facility and it was done on revenue sharing basis, he added.

dwarakesh

Move to relocate BSNL's Salem CC office opposed

BSNL's ambitious project to boost its telecom density in rural pockets in the western zone of Tamil Nadu has suffered a blow when without citing any reason it has ordered the relocation of its Salem Civil Circle Office to Bilalspur, Chattisgarh.

At a time when this Central Government enterprise is facing a tough competition from private players, the move to relocate its Salem Civil Circle (CC) office has raised a bout of protests from all including the Union Minister of State for Textiles E.V.K.S. Elangovan and Salem MP K. V. Thankgabalu. The Salem CC is instrumental in erecting cell towers and meeting other infrastructural necessities in the districts of Salem, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Namakkal, Erode and Nilgiris since June 2004.

They have taken up the issue with Union Minister of Communications A. Raja.

The Salem CC has played a significant role in developing the telecom infrastructure thus converting the West Zone into a high-density network in the country.

In fact its performance under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) - funded tower works to enhance the rural density has received a widespread appreciation at the national level. Nearly 68 towers under the USO scheme, a majority of them in the backward district of Dharmapuri, have been erected.

The WLL and Cell towers are being erected in hostile and unreachable terrains in the hill and forest areas of the districts such as Dharmapuri, Salem, Erode, Nilgiris and Namakkal. Salem CC has been erecting a number of IMPCS towers under the crucial Phase IV.5 and Phase V cell projects at various places in the districts and particularly in rural areas where the private players have now started entering.

"We have been achieving crucial targets in a competitive environment. The density ratio in four years in this region has also increased to near 12 per cent from a mere 4 per cent," says a member of Salem's Sanchar Nigam Executives' Association, which vehemently opposes the relocation decision. They say that in the overall interest of telecom growth in Tamil Nadu the Salem CC should be retained at Salem.

dwarakesh

BSNL to roll out multi-platform e-conferencing facility soon

BSNL will soon launch a multi-platform e-conferencing facility for its broadband users in Tamil Nadu.

Online meeting rooms, multi-point video conferencing, instant chat, PowerPoint tools and document sharing are among the features on offer.

Once a DataOne subscriber is allotted user ids on payment of the specified charges, he can share them and passwords to connect with anyone anywhere in the world, a BSNL official said.

The web technology that combines data, audio and video was successfully soft-launched on Tuesday in the presence of D. Varadarajan, Chief General Manager, Tamil Nadu Circle, M. P. Velusamy, CGM, Chennai Telephones, and officials of Communication Experts Private Ltd, a U.S.-Indian joint venture firm that has developed the technology.

The commercial launch nationwide is likely within a week, sources said.

Though the 'A3 Connect' tool has been positioned as a technology solution for business managers, BSNL officials are hoping for patronage from a wider circle of technophiles in the city. CEPL claims that the technology will be robust enough to support a scenario of virtual workplace environments.

Despite the complex set of functions involved, the user interface has been designed in the simple 'plug and play' mode. All one needs to get going is a personal computer, DataOne connection (with base upload bandwidth of 128 kbps) and a microphone-fitted web camera. The minimum RAM should be 512 MB and hard disk space 100 MB. The operating system should be Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

To get started, users will have to download client software from the company domain and follow the instructions to complete installation. The A3 Connect icon will appear on the desk top.

Users double-clicking the icon will activate a screen to choose user name and password to complete registration. The menu bar will have video, audio, instant chat, doc sharing, create room and versatile room management features so that a user can change passwords to a room or delete/add rooms for enhanced security.

The 'Changing the Broadcaster' feature packs a Primary Speaker Selection Algorithm which, even while facilitating the relay of the video image of the active speaker to all participants' screen, also enables any participant to become the active speaker. The White Board on the menu simulates conventional conferencing screens used for graphs and illustrations.

However, the audio bridging feature that would allow Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) letting users speak to anyone anywhere over the web connection has been disabled, pending a policy decision by the Centre on Internet telephony, a senior BSNL official said.

BSNL's corporate office in Delhi is currently fine-tuning its packages for subscribers. It is learnt that the introductory offer to be rolled out soon will carry incentives such as waiver of registration and first-month usage charges, the sources said.

Chennai Telephones expects the tool to boost its efforts to meet broadband targets. From the current base of 2.5 lakh DataOne users, the department is pushing for bringing all its 10 lakh-strong clientele into the DataOne fold by 2010.

dwarakesh

Festival offer to BSNL broadband customers

As a festival offer, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's Tirunelveli Telecom District has doubled free usage limit for November 2008 for all customers, who own BSNL Broadband connections continuously for the past 6 months as on November 1.

According to V. Raju, General Manager, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Tirunelveli Telecom District, this offer is applicable to BSNL Broadband customers of all Home and Business Plans, who remain active throughout November.

These customers will be permitted to avail twice the normal free download available in their Plan.

For example, a customer in Home – 250 Plan can download 2 GB during November instead of the normal limit of 1 GB. All requests for plan change received during November will be made effective from December 1, Mr. Raju said.

VelMurugan

BSNL 'Mandi on Mobile' Service in UP

BSNL in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh Agricultural Marketing Board (Mandi Parishad) is planning to soft-launch a voice-based 'Mandi on Mobile' service. It will allow farmers to call up a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) number and get the rate of commodities, like vegetables, grains, pulses or fruits in any mandi (market) across the state.

BSNL has tied up with OnMobile to offer this service.

The 'solely voice-based' service will allow farmers in UP to get to know the latest mandi rates of around 108 commodities by simply dialing a number and by following the simple voice command subsequently. The farmer has to just name the product and the district and he will be told the tehsil (administrative unit)-wise rates.

The voice-based service is expected to be beneficial to farmers, especially to those who are illiterate (they will not have to type in various numbers for various commodities).

The soft-launch of the Mandi on Mobile service is expected in 2 weeks. It is currently being cleansed of minor technical problems, say representatives.

A similar effort by Reliance 'Mandi on Mobile' was initiated in 2004. The service was SMS-based and enables farmers to keep track of real-time prices of commodities. In 2007, Reliance Communications had introduced 'Live Mandi Prices' on Reliance Mobile World.

Source : TechTree

dwarakesh

BSNL volleyball team selected

The Selection for Tamil Nadu Telecom Circle volleyball team was conducted by the BSNL District Sports and Cultural Board, Tirunelveli at Anna Stadium, Palayamkottai on Thursday.

Players from all over Tamil Nadu participated in the selection and 12 players were chosen.

The selected players will represent Tamil Nadu in the All India BSNL Volleyball Tournament likely to be held at Bangalore in February 2009. Coach from Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu P. Venkatesh conducted the selection in the presence of Circle Joint Secretary V. Manjunath, coordinator N. V. Isaac Daniel, secretary S. Daniel Vijayakumar and other officials.

V. Raju, General Manager, BSNL, Tirunelveli Telecom District inaugurated the selection and congratulated the selected players.

sajiv

BSNL cable lines till Singapore, Europe

Kolkata: The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) would lay three underground cable lines, two of them extended up to Singapore and Europe, Company CMD Kuldeep Goyal said on Friday, Nov 7.

Talking to newspersons after launching 'Data Card' here, Mr Goyal said the joint venture would be implemented in collaboration with Millenium Telecommunication Ltd and MTNL. He informed that while one underground cable line would be laid from Digha to Singapore, another one was likely to be stretched from Mumbai to Europe. Deliberations were on in regard to laying of the third cable line, he said. The total cost of the project, to be completed in three years, was estimated at Rs 300 crore, Mr Goyal said adding tenders were being floated in this regard.

Referring to the "Data Card," he said the system would open a new vista of voice and high speed wireless internet services at rock bottom prices.


dwarakesh

BSNL Eyes Global Market, Plans Acquisitions

State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is looking at international markets to expand its services, and is even considering acquisitions, a top company official said in Kolkata Friday.

"We have started looking at markets in Africa and Middle East countries. It depends on the competition. We have made a bid in Middle East and are exploring other options," BSNL chairman and managing director Kuldeep Goyal told reporters at a press meet during the launch of its data card for voice and data services.

The company is planning expansion in mobile and broadband segments in countries where telecom density is low.

He also said the company is looking at acquisitions, saying: "We will definitely consider that also. We have just started thinking on that line."

BSNL is also planning to hive off its tower business. "We are planning to make our infrastructure division into a separate company to generate more revenues," Goyal said, adding that American consultancy Boston Consulting Group has been appointed to evaluate the infrastructure business.

In the current fiscal, BSNL has a plan to invest Rs.180 billion, and similar plans for the next financial year fiscal as well. But next year, Goyal said, investments could be even scaled down to around Rs.140-150 billion on account of the economic meltdown.

The BSNL chief ruled out his company would come out with an initial public offer (IPO), an issue that was much discussed of late. "Looking at the current market scenario, I don't think an IPO can come now. It depends on the market condition."

The BSNL board has approved an IPO, with the the proposal now lying with the telecom ministry. The telecom operator proposed dilution of about 10 percent stake.

Dwelling on other plans, Goyal said BSNL is eyeing a mobile subscriber base of about 100 million by 2010-11 and hopes to add seven to eight million customers in the remaining part of the current financial year.

At present, BSNL's total mobile service base is 39.17 million till September, of which 2.96 million connections got added in the April-September period.

On BSNL's plans for third generation (3G) services rollout, he said the company would first target the cities in the north and the east - in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Orissa - in the "early part" of 2009.

"We expect about 2 percent of the total mobile subscribers in the country to shift to our 3G service once it is launched."

Regarding submarine cable laying, Goyal said BSNL was part of a seven company consortium, Europe India Gateway (EIG), which would lay a trans-Atlantic undersea cable link. The telecom operator will invest $50 million in the project.

In addition, Millennium Telecom Co, promoted by BSNL and Mahanagar Telecom Nigam Ltd (MTNL), will float a tender for laying another submarine cable line. "It will be on both the east and west; one side going towards Singapore and another to Europe."

sajiv

BSNL official held

HYDERABAD: The Special Judge for CBI Cases, Hyderabad, has convicted E. K. Annamalai, Accounts Officer, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., Tirupati, in a case registered by CBI, Hyderabad in 2003.

The judge has sentenced him to four years simple imprisonment and fined Rs.1,000 on each count under Sections 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Annamalai accepted a bribe from the complainant for releasing the earnest money deposit, security deposit and for clearing some bills. He has been sent to jail.

sajiv

BSNL to improve its coverage at Sabarimala

PATHANAMTHITTA: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has made elaborate arrangements for improving telecommunication facilities at Sabarimala during the two-month annual Mandalam-Makaravilakku festival that begins on November 16.

Carpet coverage: In a statement issued here on Sunday, BSNL General Manager C. Sasidharan said the company had already taken steps to extend uninterrupted carpet cellular phone coverage on the Mannarakulanji-Pampa main trunk route to Sabarimala, Nilackal base camp, Pandithavalom and along the trekking path.

Mr. Sasidharan said that BSNL would soon commission Base Trans Stations (BTS) at Kannakkara, Madamon, Nellikkala, Nellickamon, Ulanad, Seethathode, Kanamukku, Kumbalampoika, Mezhuvely, Oonnukal, Thulappally, Mandiram, Murinjakal, Padimon, Puthumala, Tholoozhom, Thonyamala and Vallikkode.He said temporary mobile BTS' would be provided at Plappally and Pampa KSRTC bus station.

Adequate mobile phone coverage had already been made available at Laha, Nilackal parking grounds, Pampa, Saramkuthy and Sannidhanam. A mobile BTS would be installed at Karimala on the traditional Sabarimala trekking path. Telecom centres would be opened at Pampa, Sannidhanam and Nilackal and Internet facility would also be made available at all these centres.

Mr. Sasidharan said the BSNL would also extend broadband facility to various offices and shops at Sabarimala and Pampa, besides various media offices, in the next one week itself.Leased lines could also be provided to various agencies for live video transmission of events to different parts of the globe.


sajiv

BSNL Bhavan inaugurated

Mallu Bhatti Vikramaka, MLC, inaugurating the customer service centre at the newly constructed BSNL Bhavan on Monday as Union Minister of State for Woman and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury looks on. —


KHAMMAM: Union Minister of State for Woman and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury on Monday inaugurated the BSNL Bhavan, the administrative building of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, contrasted at a cost of Rs. 2.4 crores.Speaking on the occasion she said that there was a marked improvement in the telecommunications in the district over the past 10 years.

There was no proper connectivity for many parts in the district when she got elected as Member of Parliament from Khammam Lok Sabha constituency. It was a totally different world now.Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, MLC, inaugurated the BSNL customer service centre. The service centre will have online bill payments and registration of all types of services.

A host of leaders, including R. Venkata Reddy, MLA, Thammineni Veerabhadram, MLA, Ponnam Venkateswalu, Municipal vice-chairman and M.A. Abid, chairman of the Zilla Grandhalaya Samstha, were among those who took part in the programme.

Customer base: The customer base of the BSNL was expected to cross the one lakh mark in Khammam well before March next, P. Sitaramaraju, General Manager, said after the inauguration of the BSNL Bhavan. He said the Khammam telecom district was serving over 70,000 mobile phone users.

The network, which had 51 BTS initially, was augmented by 21 BTS stations this year. Another 16 BTS stations were in the pipeline and 80 more sites were planned for future expansion. He explained that the broadband services were being extended to all the urban and rural areas besides the mandal headquarters.


dwarakesh

BSNL mobile 'thiruvizha'

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited is conducting mobile 'thiruvizha' for exclusive booking of mobile connections on November 12 and 13.

A release from the Principal General Manager, BSNL. said that the 'thiruvizha' would be held at telephone exchange at Kurichi, Saravanampatti, Sulur, Karamadai, Sirumugai, Annur and Palladam.

sajiv

BSNL mela

VIJAYAWADA: The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will organise a reconnection and new phone connection mela for telephones starting from 253, at Lotus Landmark on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The areas that are covered under mela are Satyanarayanapuram, Lakshminagar, Srinagar, Madhuranagar, Pasuputhota, Ramakrishnapuram, Devinagar, Ramalingeswarapeta, Kedareswarapeta, and Khuddus Nagar. The registration for new landline, mobile and broadband connections can be done at the mela.

For further details, people can contact toll free number 1991.



dwarakesh

Technological upgrading of telephone exchanges

TIRUNELVELI: The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's Tirunelveli Telecom District has planned to carryout hi-tech upgrading work of Kadayanallur and connected telephone exchange of Idaikaal between Tuesday (November 11) midnight and 3 a.m. on Wednesday.

According to V. Raju, General Manager, BSNL, Tirunelveli Telecom District, Dynamic Locking Facility will automatically be activated due to the technical upgrading in telephone connections, which have not been locked dynamically by the subscribers, who can use their pre-registered dynamic locking code to access STD / ISD facilities.

Moreover, the call waiting facility will also be activated automatically from Tuesday midnight.

This facility can either be barred or activated by dialling the code number 119 or 118 respectively.

Owing to this hi-tech upgrading, the customers of Kadayanallur and the connected telephone exchange can apply and get the additional facility called 'Centrex' and can then call the telephone numbers starting with 24, 267 and 268 on monthly rental charges alone without any call charges.

For further details, customers of Kadayanallur exchange can contact Junior Telecom Officer at 241399, the Sub Divisional Engineer at 240300 and telephone subscribers of Idaikaal exchange can contact Junior Telecom Officer at 267000 and the Sub Divisional Engineer at 240300 or toll-free general enquiry at 1095, Mr. Raju said.

sajiv

Now desktop at Rs.2,999, courtesy BSNL

NEW DELHI: Communications and Information Technology Minister A. Raja on Tuesday launched a unique initiative of the state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) to provide affordable computing service to the masses through IT company Novatium Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

BSNL has tied up with Novatium Solutions to provide its broadband services with latter's home computing service 'Nova netPC.' A consumer will get a desktop computer at Rs.2,999 (excluding taxes) on a monthly subscription of Rs.175, while the monthly broadband packages start at Rs.99.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Raja said this initiative would ensure easy computer access to people in both rural and urban areas, besides helping in the growth of broadband. "We have grown from a meagre 1.8-lakh broadband subscribers in March 2005 to over 50 lakh in August this year. Our target is to hit two crore broadband household base by 2010. This affordable service by BSNL will contribute to this," he added.According to BSNL CMD Kuldeep Goyal: "BSNL has been constantly innovating to champion the adoption of broadband usage in the country. With our huge connectivity and infrastructure, BSNL hopes this new service would help in computing and broadband penetration in the country."

Informing about Nova netPC, Novatium Solutions CEO Alok Singh said: "It is an affordable and simple desktop. We have made it very user-friendly so that it can now be operated like any household appliance. Nova netPC allows you to do computing without the hassles of software upgrades and anti-virus downloads. We are aiming a subscriber base of 1.25 lakh in the country by the end of this financial year."


dwarakesh

BSNL customer service centre at K.K. Nagar

MADURAI: A Customer Service Centre of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited at K.K. Nagar telephone exchange will start functioning on November 12.

A statement said that the customers could pay telephone/mobile bill, make landline and broadband booking, mobile pre-paid and post-paid connection booking and telegram/facsimile booking.

All types of cash cards would be available at the customer service centre.

Source: The Hindu

dwarakesh

BSNL lines transfer

CHENNAI: BSNL Chennai Telephones has transferred 1,425 lines from Kellys Main Exchange to a new exchange located on 46/2, Konnur High Road, Ayanavaram.

With the transfer taking effect on Wednesday, numbers on levels 2644, 2645, 2646, 2647 and 2660 have moved to level 2674. A press note appealed to subscribers to re-register their password for STD/ISD locking or any other special facilities they had been using. Apart from the new complaint booking numbers 198 or 1500, users can also contact the sub-divisional engineer, Ayanavaram on 26741000.

sajiv

Mobile phone bills

VIZIANAGARAM: BSNL customers/PT hirers including those nearby exchange areas can pay phone bills at the following mobile telephone bill collection centres that function from 10 am to 1 pm under each exchange on dates mentioned in brackets: Makkuva, Ramabhadrapuram, Balijipeta and Jami (Nov.14 and 29) Therlam (Nov. 28) Perumali (Nov.27), Garbham (Nov.14 and 28), Komarada (Nov.25), Kurupam (Nov.14, 27 and 29), G.L.Puram (Nov.26 and 28), P.Rega (Nov.14, 28 and 29). Customers can also receive duplicate bills on the spot, according to a release.


dwarakesh

BSNL launches opex model based managed services for enterprise segment

BSNL announced the launch of managed services targeted towards the enterprise community including the SME segment and which includes management of leased line modems, routers and security services like managed firewalls.

BSNL says the service will outdo the need to manage different vendors for different products thereby easing the management of these products for the enterprise segment. More importantly BSNL says that the services are offered on an opex model at fixed monthly charges of Rs 7.999. It says with no capex involved there can be a significant uptake for these services.

While for routers, BSNL has tied up with Cisco for these managed services in three cities including Pune, Nasik, & Aurangabad, it has forged a tie-up with Trimax for providing pre-sales and after sales customer services including proactive monitoring of customer network.

BSNL says it guarantees a SLA of 99 percent for the service and 24 x 7 customer support.

"The SMB market has seen a considerable transformation over the years in India and technology has become a key enabler for improving efficiency and productivity, therefore the profitability. On the other hand, the complexity of operating these new applications and services is increasing, and a need for continued management requiring increased IT resources," said Kuldeep Goyal, CMD BSNL.

sajiv

BSNL mobile bill collection

A mobile cash collection van of BSNL will visit the rural areas of the district, for collection of bill payments, from Monday.

The van will visit the following areas on the dates mentioned against them. They are: Anandapuram/Revadi – Nov. 17, INS Kalinga/Kapuluppada – Nov. 18, Lankelapalem/Vadacheepurapalli – Nov. 19, D. Yerravaram – Nov. 20, Lothugedda – Nov. 21, Chowdavada – Nov. 22, Rambilli/Atchutapuram Nov. 24, Varahapuram/Cheedikada – Nov. 25 and Srirampuram – Nov. 26, Y. Gopalapatnam – Nov. 27 and Vaddadi on Nov. 28.

sajiv

BSNL campaign to promote e-payment

Now there's a broadband subscriber base of 2.5 lakh users, High-end server was installed at KK Nagar exchange

CHENNAI: Having set its sights on bringing an estimated one million landline users into the broadband fold by 2010, BSNL Chennai Telephones has now launched a campaign to get more subscribers to pay monthly bills online.

Chennai Telephones now has a broadband subscriber base of 2.5 lakh users within the larger pool of 10 lakh landline connections. Though about one lakh subscribers, both broadband and landline, are currently registered on designated BSNL websites, e-payments currently only aggregated about 20,000 transactions a month, sources said.

Since DataOne connections are given only to those with an active landline of the BSNL, this effectively means that users can make their landline bill remittances online even if they are out of town during the pay-by-date period.

Some time ago, a high-end server was installed at the KK Nagar exchange in anticipation of a manifold increase in online traffic — "even in a scenario where all one million users make their payments online", according to an official.

As an incentive to promote its e-billing and payment format, the service provider has extended 1 per cent discount against the bill amount.

With the installation of the new server, e-payments are 24/7 .

Recently, Chennai Telephones commenced e-mailing bills to its one lakh users registered on the official website.

The bills in pdf format reach subscribers well in advance of the postal despatch. Users registered on billchn.bsnl.co.in can also get to periodically monitor their usage, an official said.

Registered users can also add/delete GSM numbers for which they make remittances online.

Measures are under way to encourage more users to register on the e-bill or other official sites of the BSNL that are all linked to a common payment gateway.


sajiv

Absorb ITS officials into BSNL, say associations

MADURAI: Refusal of Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officers to enter Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has stalled its development, the Sanchar Nigam Executives' Association (SNEA) and All India BSNL Executives' Association (AIBSNLEA) have alleged.

Members of both the associations took out a procession here on Tuesday protesting against non-absorption of ITS officers into BSNL even eight years after its formation. "While over 3.5 lakh employees and Group 'B' officials are in the payrolls of the BSNL, the ITS officers, who are in the top management, continue to be government employees. This shows that they are uninterested in the development of BSNL," said N. Alagarsamy, central working committee member, SNEA.

Either the BSNL must absorb all the ITS officials or else all the 3.5 lakh staff and Group 'B' officers be taken back as government employees, the associations demanded.

Office-bearers S. Kanniappan and R. Rajeswaran, (SNEA) and M. Raghamathullah and M. Sangaiah (AIBSNLEA), led the procession.

sajiv

BSNL mela

KOLLAM: A two-day BSNL mela will be held at the Karunagapally Town Club on November 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. At the mela, customers will have the opportunity to get their phones reconnected by remitting outstanding dues at discounted rates of up to 25 per cent and have the rental charges for the period waived.


sajiv

MTNL, BSNL executives seek Governor's help

CHENNAI: The United Forum of Executives of MTNL and BSNL, Chennai, on Wednesday submitted a memorandum to Governor S.S. Barnala seeking his intervention in the implementation of the demand for repatriation to the Department of Telecommunications.

The memorandum stated that the decision to seek repatriation, which is also an issue over which telecom officers have been on the warpath recently, was "taken after extensive deliberations over the dual policy of the government on the issue of absorption, which has shaken the very foundation of viability of BSNL and MTNL."

The memorandum urged the Governor to expedite a solution that would avert further precipitation of the issue.


sajiv

BSNL melas

BSNL, Vijayawada, will conduct reconnection/new phone connection melas on Thursday at Anjaneya Swamy temple near Kotha Vantena on Eluru Road and at Canal Road. Customers with 243 and 244 levels must visit the venue at Kotha Vantena while those with 242, 251 and 256 levels must go to Canal Road.

dwarakesh

Snag in BSNL broadband server hits Internet access

CHENNAI: A technical snag in the common control equipment attached to the BSNL broadband server in Bangalore disrupted Internet access to users across the country, including Chennai, on Wednesday.

It took nearly 10 hours of troubleshooting to repair the hardware fault in the server located in BSNL's National Operating Centre in Bangalore, official sources said.

It is estimated that the disruption affected about 40 per cent of BSNL's DataOne subscribers across the country who use the "MultiPlay," or enhanced Internet experience involving data, voice and video-on-demand services.

In Chennai, about 80,000 of the 2.5 lakh DataOne subscribers use "MultiPlay" services.

BSNL launched "MultiPlay" services as a value addition a few months ago under its Phase 3 expansion plan. The Phase 2 involved dial-up connections (Sancharnet).

A Chennai Telephones official said even Phase 3 broadband connections have been given the dial-up option since last month on a trial basis. Essentially, all the 10 lakh landline connections in the telecom circle are connected to the "Internet Cloud" though the speeds would be relatively lower than broadband, an official said.

To use the fall-back option, users have to click on the network connections tab and opt for dial-up (172222) to access the Net.

All landline users were given the dial-up option as part of Chennai Telephones' drive to get more subscribers to get a feel of the Internet. As an incentive, the browsing charges (Rs.6 an hour) have been waived during the trial period which ends on December 31, an official said.

As part of making its portfolio of services versatile to "meet all sorts of needs of users", the department had rolled out NetOne or the "account-less Internet" where users pay per browsing hour.

dwarakesh

Technological upgrading of telephone exchanges

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's Tirunelveli Telecom District has planned to carryout hi-tech upgrading work in Puliyangudi and connected telephone exchanges of Sivagiri and Vasudevanallur from midnight of Wednesday (November 19) up to 3 a.m. on Thursday (November 20).

According to V. Raju, General Manager, BSNL, Tirunelveli Telecom District, Dynamic Locking Facility will automatically be activated due to the technical upgrading in telephone connections, which have not been locked dynamically by the subscribers, who can use their pre-registered dynamic locking code to access STD / ISD facilities.

Moreover, the call waiting facility will also be activated automatically from Wednesday midnight.

This facility can either be barred or activated by dialling the code number 119 or 118 respectively.
'Centrex' facility

Owing to this hi-tech upgrading, customers of Puliyangudi and the connected telephone exchanges can apply and get the additional facility called 'Centrex' and can then call the telephone numbers starting with 233, 234, 235, 236, 241, 242, 250 and 251 on monthly rental charges alone without any call charges. For further details, customers of Puliyangudi exchange can contact Junior Telecom Officer at 235200, the Sub Divisional Engineer at 233200 and telephone subscribers of Sivagiri and Vasudevanallur exchange can contact Junior Telecom Officer at 241300 and the Sub Divisional Engineer at 233200 or toll-free general enquiry at 1095, Mr. Raju said.

sajiv

Technical snag in BSNL broadband server in Bangalore hits Internet access

It took 10 hours to repair the hardware fault in the server

CHENNAI: A technical snag in the common control equipment attached to the BSNL broadband server in Bangalore disrupted Internet access to users across the country, including Chennai, on Wednesday.

It took nearly 10 hours of troubleshooting to repair the hardware fault in the server located in BSNL's National Operating Centre in Bangalore, official sources said.

It is estimated that the disruption affected about 40 per cent of BSNL's DataOne subscribers across the country who use the "MultiPlay," or enhanced Internet experience involving data, voice and video-on-demand services.

In Chennai, about 80,000 of the 2.5 lakh DataOne subscribers use "MultiPlay" services.

BSNL launched "MultiPlay" services as a value addition a few months ago under its Phase 3 expansion plan. The Phase 2 involved dial-up connections (Sancharnet).

A Chennai Telephones official said even Phase 3 broadband connections have been given the dial-up option since last month on a trial basis. Essentially, all the 10 lakh landline connections in the telecom circle are connected to the "Internet Cloud" though the speeds would be relatively lower than broadband, an official said.

To use the fall-back option, users have to click on the network connections tab and opt for dial-up (172222) to access the Net. All landline users were given the dial-up option as part of Chennai Telephones' drive to get more subscribers to get a feel of the Internet. As an incentive, the browsing charges (Rs.6 an hour) have been waived during the trial period which ends on December 31, an official said. As part of making its portfolio of services versatile to "meet all sorts of needs of users", the department had rolled out NetOne or the "account-less Internet" where users pay per browsing hour.


sajiv

BSNL mela to be organised at Tenkasi

TIRUNELVELI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's Tirunelveli Telecom District commenced its special sale programme at Tenkasi Customer Service Centre on Thursday.

Tenkasi businessman S. Mariappan inaugurated the festival and issued the SIM card to the first customer. General Manager, BSNL, Tirunelveli Telecom District V. Raju and other senior officers of BSNL participated.

The festival is being conducted up to November 23 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

All BSNL services including cell phone, landlines, Wireless in Local Loop connections etc. are being offered at concessional rates. Mobile connections under 'Kurinji' and 'Mega Super' schemes are offered for Rs. 99 instead of Rs. 249 and landline / WLL connections for Rs. 100.

Special prizes
In addition, special prizes will also be offered through lucky draw daily among those who get their connections during the mela, which include a 2 gram gold coin as first prize to one person and a wristwatch as second prize to two persons.

sajiv

BSNL 'workers alliance' rues government apathy

TIRUPATI: Telecom workers affiliated to the 'BSNL Workers Alliance' comprising nine unions led by NFTE-BSNL met here on Thursday and bemoaned the 'deterioration' in the working of the public sector giant owing to the alleged failure of the government in taking up 'expansion' work during the last two or three years.

They also regretted that the recognised and the representative union 'BSNL Employees Union' had completely failed to protect the interest of the company and the staff as well.

In a statement, they criticised that though wage revision was due from January 1, 2007, the recognised union failed to even initiate negations for the last two years.

The statement said the alliance would launch agitational measures from November 25 and would hold dharna on December 2 and a one-day token strike on December 19.


dwarakesh

Telephone service for tribals

Tribals of Patchamalai, a remote a hilly terrain in the district hitherto inaccessible for communication network, will get telecommunication services by the end of this fiscal.

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, Tiruchi SSA, will set up a tower at Top Sengattupati village atop the hills, to provide both Wireless Local Loop (WLL) and mobile phone services to the residents of Patchamalai.

While WLL would have a capacity of 750 working lines, the mobile tower would be able to provide network for 1,000 subscribers, Principal General Manager, Telecom, A. Balraj, said.

Although the WLL facility had already been provided in the area, it was not up to the technical standard, resulting in snags, he said. Work on the Rs.20-lakh tower would be taken up shortly. It would facilitate a fool-proof communication facility for the tribals. WLL subscribers would have a special concession in the form of a monthly rent of Rs. 50 with 75 free calls.

All the 14 panchayat union offices in the district would be covered under a wireless network communication system linked to District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).

The facility would help union officials contact the DRDA in case of any emergency.

The BSNL tower at its exchange premises at Manapparai would be utilised for providing the link. The DRDA would set up a repeater at the tower, for which the BSNL had sanctioned its permission.

sajiv

BSNL customer meet to be held today

TIRUPATI: BSNL Tirupati Telecom District has announced to organise a 'Customer Meet' on Monday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the respective offices of the Divisional Engineer (Maintenance) in Srikalahasti, Puttur, Chittoor (Urban and Rural), Palamaner, Madanapalle, Piler and Tirupati External (Sanchar Bhavan compound). Individual grievances pertaining to delay in respect of phone fault repairs, new connections, shifting and billing-related complaints can be represented by subscribers in person at the meet.


dwarakesh

SMS service to get certificates launched

The service for getting various certificates such as land patta and submission of public grievance petitions through SMS was inaugurated by Tourism Minister N. Suresh Rajan on Monday.

The Minister said that the public could send an SMS to the number 54373 in the prescribed format for obtaining birth, nativity, community, income and death certificates as well as land patta certificates.

They could also submit their grievance petitions to the district administration.

The nominal charges prescribed by the Government for these services would be deducted by the BSNL from the cell phone account of the respective person. The amount so collected would then be transferred to the Government account.

The public could save their valuable time and money, which otherwise would be spent on transport and other things in visiting taluk and collector's office. The certificates would be delivered through post by the taluk or other Government offices concerned after processing within a maximum of six days. The petitioners would be given reply through SMS when the certificates were dispatched, the Minister said.
Format explained

The Collector, who presided over the inaugural function, said that for obtaining birth certificate the public should send an SMS in the format: KKM <BC> <DOB dd/mm/yyy> <place of birth> <name of the child> <father's/ mother's name> <present postal address>>.

He explained the codes could be read as KKM as Kanyakumari district, DOB as the date of birth, BC as birth certificate, DC as death certificate, IC as income certificate, RC as the residence certificate, CC as the community certificate, PC as Patta certificate and GP as the grievance certificate. The above said codes could be followed to obtain all the certificates through SMS.

dwarakesh

Chennai added to BSNL's 3G plan

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), the government owned telecom service provider has announced that like Delhi and Mumbai , Chennai will also be a part of the initial 3G rollout program. According to officials at BSNL, the rollout plan for Chennai should commence in January next year.

BSNL and MTNL, the other state owned telecom body, will be the first operators in the country to offer 3G facilities to their consumers since they have already acquired the requisite licenses and spectrum rights. BSNL officials had earlier met in September to discuss the roll-out and it was revealed that the government telecom bodies would spend close to Rs. 2,500 crores in setting up the infrastructure for 3G. Also, in spite of the higher expenses that 3G brings to both operators and customers, BSNL seems optimistic about the initiative and officials have also clarified that the global economic slump hasn't affected them.

Kalyan

BSNL selects Dilithium for Mobile Video Services

Dilithium, the global leader in high-quality multimedia delivery over mobile and broadband networks announced on Tuesday that BSNL, India's largest telecommunications company, has selected Dilithium solutions for the deployment of new mobile video and streaming services over 2G and 3G networks.

BSNL plans to roll out Live TV services in early 2009. Dilithium has partnered with HCL Infosystems Ltd. to provide end-to-end delivery solutions for BSNL's live mobile video services. The solution includes the Dilithium DTG(r) 3021 multimedia gateways and the DCA video streaming solution, enabling 2-way video calling and other advanced video services.

"It has been an honor to help BSNL bring mobile video solutions to the India market," said Uno Mehta, Senior VP of Dilithium's Value Added Services Business Unit. "Our ability to provide comprehensive end to end solutions for both circuit switched and packet switched video made us a good fit for BSNL's requirements."

source : economictimes.itacumens.com

dwarakesh

BSNL to use Dilithium, HCL solutions for mobile video services

BSNL is set to deploy Dilithium service delivery platform which will enable it to offer mobile video streaming services over 2G and 3G networks.

The solution will also enable BSNL to offer video calling services.

HCL Infosystems is also involved in the value chain for deployment of the solution.


dwarakesh

BBMP drags its heels over approvals - BSNL

The need to obtain permission from the civic body to proceed with digging and laying of cables is delaying the provision of internet connections.

Delays in the granting of permission from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) mean that it can take more than three months to get a connection. As a result, over 6,000 applications for internet connections from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) are pending. Senior officials of the BSNL's Bangalore division blamed BBMP's indifferent attitude in granting permission for digging operations, causing a huge loss of revenue and customers for private service providers.

The BSNL officials also alleged that private players pay huge amounts to BBMP to prevent BSNL from obtaining permission for laying cables. A BSNL official said, "Being adjudged the best telecom district, it is a shame on our part that we can't provide speedy connections to the customers. We are totally dependent on BBMP on this. Customers may wait for maximum one month. After that we are sure to lose them to the private players who offer quick services, as they don't need to do any digging for laying cables."

Denying the allegations, Basavaraj, assistant executive engineer of BBMP, said, "We generally sanction permission within 20 to 25 days. In some cases, it will take longer, as the BSNL officials fail to furnish some technical details. They should accompany us to the spot too." Calling the allegations completely baseless, he said there wasn't enough cooperation from the central government undertaking.

Kalyan

Bharti Teletech bags Rs.350 mn contract from BSNL

Bharti Teletech, manufacturers and distributors of telecom and allied products, Thursday said it has bagged a contract worth Rs.350 mn from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to manufacture fixed line phones. Bharti Teletech will manufacture and supply over 900,000 caller line identification phones (CLIP) for the state-run telecom giant over a period of five months, a company statement said.

The phones will be manufactured at the company's Ludhiana facility, where it has recently invested over Rs.50 mn to augment capacity. "This contract not only highlights the high quality of products offered by Beetel (part of Bharti) but also serves to further our association with BSNL," Bharti Teletech chief executive Sunil K. Goyal said.

source : economictimes

sajiv

Bharti Teletech bags Rs 350 million contract from BSNL

New Delhi (PTI): Bharti Teletech, manufacturers and distributors of telecom and allied products, today won a Rs 350 million contract from state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), for manufacturing fixed line phones.

Under the contract, Bharti Teletech a subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises would manufacture and supply over 9 lakh CLIP phones for BSNL over a period of 5 months, the company said in a statement.

The phones would be manufactured at the company's manufacturing facility in Ludhiana where it has recently invested over Rs 50 million to augment capacity. Post the investment, the Ludhiana unit's annual production capacity reached up to five million.

Bharti Teletech CEO Sunil K Goyal said, "This contract not only highlights the high quality of products offered by Beetel but also serves to further our association with BSNL.

I am confident that the association would be mutually beneficial for both the companies and the future would see us growing and further strengthening this strategic relationship. It is poised to go beyond supply of landline phones, as BSNL intends to procure Blackberry handsets through Bharti Teletech."

Bharti Teletech manufactures telephone instruments under the Beetel brand.


Kalyan

BSNL to start BlackBerry services next month

State-run telecom company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd on Friday said it would startBlackBerry services by next
month.

"We are well on track to launch our BlackBerry services by next month," BSNL Director (Finance) S D Saxenatold reporters on the sidelines of a CII conference here.

Five mobile service providers -- Airtel, Vodafone, BPL, Reliance Communications and Tata Teleservices -- are currently offering BlackBerry services in India.

BlackBerry services were introduced in India in October 2004. However, it came under the government's scanner last year when security agencies could not access the data stored in the Blackberry network.

India has earlier asked Research in Motion (RIM), the maker of Blackberry, to route all its calls and e-mails through servers based in India to allow security agencies to read them as it fears its usage by terrorist outfits.

This is because calls and e-mails exchanged within BlackBerry handsets cannot be intercepted as the servers are based in Canada.

source : economictimes