MUMBAI, Aug 12: The Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) is firm on giving cheaper cell phone services by March 1999, after the High Court verdict on the case, said its chairman and managing director (CMD) S Rajagopalan.``The court case will be resolved by September. We are upbeat about introducing the service by March next year,'' the CMD told presspersons this morning after inaugurating an 8000-line telephone exchange in Vashi.Though he didn't reveal the cost of this new service, Rajagopalan said the MTNL services would feature `affordable tariffs' and bring cell phones to the middle class. ``Everyone should be able to afford a cell phone.''Referring to the court cases filed by cell phone companies like MaxTouch and BPL Mobile to restrain MTNL from entering this sector, the CMD said they had every right to protest. Cautioning them about survival of the fittest, the CMD decried attempts to obstruct this service.He welcomed competitors to MTNL entering the telephone service-providing market laterthis year, saying, ``If we don't improve, the consumer will leave us. It will make us work better.''Earlier, Rajagopalan inaugurated a state-of-the-art telephone exchange in the International Infotech Park (IIP) at the Vashi station complex. The exchange is part of the package of sophisticated communication system and uninterrupted power supply.The building which boasts of 6 lakh square feet of built-up area is to become the hub of the IT industry in Maharashtra. The inauguration comes a day after the state government unveiled its ambitious IT policy which provides a host of incentives like sales tax benefits, octroi refunds, and stamp duty incentives.The 781 digital electronic exchange are part of the government's moves to woo the IT industry which virtually depends on phone lines for all its services like Internet and high-speed data communication facilities.``We will ensure that all the services necessary for this industry are provided on demand,'' City and Industrial Development Corporation(CIDCO) managing director Vishwas Dhumal assured the gathering on the state's new policy.
