Videsh Sanchar, Mobilefirst in NLD, ILD pact

Internet services provider Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL) and Mobilefirst, an alliance of mobile operators in India, have signed an agreement, under which VSNL will be the ‘preferred’ carrier for the latter’s national (NLD) and international long distance (ILD) traffic.

‘‘Through this agreement, VSNL will now be among the preferred national long distance carriers and the ‘first-in-route’ for all outgoing international long distance (ILD) traffic for Mobilefirst Alliance,’’ VSNL managing director S.K. Gupta said in a release here Tuesday. This would also add ‘significant value’ to VSNL’s growing market share of long distance traffic, Gupta said. Apart from the alliance partners, VSNL would also carry long-distance traffic for Hutch Telecom and Idea Cellular, who are the strategic partners of the Mobilefirst Alliance, he added. Mobilefirst Alliance is an alliance among BPL Mobile, Escotel, RPG Cellular and Spice Telecom.