NEWS: BSNL to launch "always on" Net service in Bangalore shortly

[Frederick Noronha <fred@bytesforall.org>]

BSNL to launch "always on" Net service in Bangalore shortly

By Indo-Asian News Service

Bangalore, May 6 (IANS) State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam limited (BSNL),
India's largest telephone operator, has decided to launch its "always on"
Internet service within the next couple of months in Bangalore.

"The subscriber should be able to speak as well as be connected to the
Internet from the same telephone line under the direct Internet access
service," said B.R. Baliga, principal general manager (Bangalore telecom
district) of BSNL.

"The amount is yet to be decided but we are keen to keep it at Rs.1,000 per
month along with a small deposit amount for the modem that would be provided
by the department. The modem costs Rs.20,000," he told a news conference
here Monday.

Currently, a subscriber pays Rs.22 per hour for telephone usage at Rs.1.20
per unit for three minutes apart from paying the Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd.
for Net connectivity.

BSNL would also be able to provide a router to large housing complexes to
facilitate Net connectivity. "It would be like a lease line but it would be
attractively priced," Baliga said.

The state-owned company also plans to launch cellular services by September
in the city. The launch has been delayed as the communal violence in Gujarat
had prevented trucks from bringing in equipments for upgrading the microwave
towers.

--Indo-Asian News Service