CHENNAI: Free short messaging services (SMS) for students, reduction in call charges for pre-paid subscribers and tariff changes for local Public Call Offices (PCO) will be some of the new initiatives of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) Tamil Nadu Telecom Circle.

Chief General Manager T.S. Kuppuswamy told a press conference here on Monday that coinciding with Independence Day celebrations , an "Excel Student Power" will be launched providing free SMS facility within the service area of Tamil Nadu, besides other networks in the State.

Mr. Kuppuswamy said call charges for the pre-paid Excel customers had been reduced from 90 paise to 70 paise per minute. He said the attractive feature was customers under this scheme of which one should be a BSNL landline, could also make calls to two preferred numbers at the rate of 10 paise per minute. The facility of calling two numbers at the concessional rates had also been extended to post-paid customers, barring Excel Anant and Excel OneIndia subscribers. Customers could register their choice of numbers by SMS or through customer care centres.

On the post-paid Plan 725, Mr. Kuppuswamy said effective September 1, local calls and SMS within the BSNL cellular customers were free. Local calls to BSNL landline and to connections of other network was 40 paise per minute. The STD calls to BSNL cell was 40 paise and for BSNL landline and other networks was Rs.1.50 per minute. Incoming call charges while on roaming was 65 paise per minute and the plan was valid for 90 days.

On the tariff changes for local Public Call Offices, Mr. Kuppuswamy said the pulse rates for making calls through the PCOs had been rationalised and made uniform at Re.1 for all distances within the circle with a pulse rate of 45 seconds (inclusive of service tax). This would take effect from September 1.

Broadband connectivity

Referring to the broadband connectivity, the CGM explained the BSNL would soon be increasing the connection capacity to more than 1,00,000 subscribers spread over 463 towns by the end of December this year. "All the district and taluk headquarters will have broadband access when this phase of expansion work is completed."

One more new "Fixed Line Prepaid Service" would be launched in the Tamil Nadu Circle. A customer could purchase pre-paid recharge cards and use his phone or any other phone for making local, STD and ISD calls.

Pointing out that the mobile customer base in the Tamil Nadu Circle was 16.5 lakh, Mr. Kuppuswamy said it was expected to cross 21 lakhs by October end of this year.

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