In a sign of Indian manufacturing coming of age, Bharti Teletech on Wednesday said a range of fixed line phones that can read mobile phone books are due for launch later this year.These ‘‘fixed-line corded phones’’ will not only read the memory of a conventional cellphone SIM card, but also store its details: The result will be a landline with a directory exactly similar to a mobile phonebook.The innovation takes Bharti precipitously close to developing a landline phone that is easily interchangeable with a mobile phone, an inevitable technological advancement that is likely to raise fresh regulatory hurdles in India.‘‘Our software engineers have been asked to develop a software patch to read SIM card memory and convert that into land-line dialling codes. It is currently being tested and we are planning a launch in November,’’ said Bharti Teletech vice-chairman and managing director, Rakesh Bharti Mittal, speaking on the completion of the fastest-ever production of a million phones in its Ludhiana manufacturing unit.This phone will work exactly like any conventional phone, but with the added functionality of a cellphone directory, it will reduce the dependence on cellular phones that are being used in homes. ‘‘We had found that because of the phone book feature of a mobile phone, most people preferred using them even at home where they have a land line. This feature should sort out that problem,’’ said Mittal.Bharti Teletech, which made 5.1 million landlines last fiscal and has plans to scale up to 10 million phones a year by 2007 or 2008, intends to spend $1 million on R&D and capex for expansion by then. Many of its future plans hinge on the new phones being developed in its Ludhiana and Goa manufacturing units, and on the R&D capabilities of its teams.In most fresh innovations, Beetel, the flagship Bharti Teletech brand, is introducing functionalities similar to mobile phones, ranging from SMS, battery backup, automatic voice control, polyphonic ring tones and caller line identification, features that are no longer as a luxury after the mobile revolution.Bharti Teletech also has a range of fixed cellular phones based on GSM technology under trial, which will be ready for launch next year. These fixed cellular phones, or ‘‘Fixed Cellular Terminals’’ (FCT) are currently undergoing pilot tests at Bharti Teletech’s two manufacturing units in Ludhiana and Goa.With PSUs likely to have a million broadband customers by the year-end, and double that over next year, the company is vying for fresh contracts for its landline phones.‘‘The broadband focus of BSNL and MTNL will lead to more and more demand for landline connections as well. In the last few years the focus on landlines was very low so we had to focus on fresh revenue streams like DSL, ADSL and modems. But now these new efforts will go hand in hand with the landline expansion that is expected,’’ said Mittal.
