MTNL plans further

NEW DELHI, NOV 22: The Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd may go in for further reduction in internet tariff and adoption of both CDMA and GSM...

NEW DELHI, NOV 22: The Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd may go in for further reduction in internet tariff and adoption of both CDMA and GSM technologies for cellular mobile services soon, MNTL chairman and managing director S Rajgopalan indicated today.

He told reporters at the MTNL pavilion at the India International Trade Fair at Pragati Maidan here that the tariff reduction for internet would be effected after the matter is put up for consideration before the next meeting of the board of directors scheduled for December 3.

Rajgopalan said MTNL is going to be the only company to have both the CDMA WLL and GSM technologies in the days to come as other operators have only the GSM technology for mobile telephones. The MTNL has already floated a tender for adopting the GSM technology, he said .

The MTNL, according to him, is going to be a predominant player in both the internet and cellular phone in the next millennium. It wants to go in for new services and technologies as there lies the growth. Looking to its great demand we have to be prepared for that and the MTNL exhibition at Pragati Maidan is an attempt to demonstrate our preparedness , he added.

Rajgopalan pointed out that the world over fixed telephones are being replaced by cellular phones and cellular tariff is lower than the fixed telephone tariffs. We want this revolution to be brought into India too, he said

The MTNL, he said, is soon going to launch internet kiosks to be put up at airports, five star hotels and other important public places. This will be for the use of the people who are on the move. Initially twenty five such kiosks will be launched.

We want to be known as a modern company and as one which takes advantage of convergence of different services and technologies, he observed. Justifying the need for adoption of both wireless on local loop WLL and GSM technologies, he said you have to do something different in competition and added that the MTNL wants to touch all segments of society.

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He pointed out that long distance charges are going to decline and called upon the people to make more and more STD calls and take advantage of the lower tariffs.

Rajgopalan said the CDMA technology for cellular phone has been a great success and the response to it is overwhelming. The mobile phone capacity of the MTNL will be expanded by march when entire Delhi will be covered by it, according to him.