The Hindu : PM launches BSNL cellular service

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 20, 2002

National

National

PM launches BSNL cellular service

By Our Special Correspondent

The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, with the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mayawati. Also seen is the Governor, Vishnu Kant Shastri, in Lucknow on Saturday. — Photo: Subir Roy

LUCKNOW OCT. 19. The Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, today launched the countrywide cellular service of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited by making a call to the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, in New Delhi from the Raj Bhawan at Lucknow.

During their conversation, both Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Advani described the new venture as a revolutionary step in the development of telecommunication facilities in the country. They praised the engineers and officers of the BSNL for making the project a success and hoped that the organisation would be able to make greater achievements in future.

Mr. Vajpayee who arrived here on a two-day visit, went straight to the inaugural function. The Union Minister for Communications, Pramod Mahajan, dialled the number of Mr. Advani and handed over a cell phone to the Prime Minister.

The conversation between the two leaders was made live through video conferencing at the Darbar Hall of the Raj Bhawan before a select gathering.

Mr. Vajpayee recalled how telephone was a rare commodity during his early days. Now cell phone had become more popular than a fixed telephone. Some complained that instead of providing bread to the people the Government was stressing on providing telephones. Now people had enough money to spend on phones. Also the facility had its own utility for professionals and businesspersons.

Mr. Advani praised the engineers for creating a prestigious position for themselves in the world market. He recalled how he had noticed that 30 per cent engineers working with the Microsoft were Indians.

Mr. Mahajan said that cell phone was considered an object of surprise till 1996 when Mr. Vajpayee became the Prime Minister for the first time. In 1998 when he started his second innings as the Prime Minister the number of cell phone users in the country was 2.50 lakhs. Now nearly three lakh cell phones were selling every month and the total number of mobile phone users was about 82 lakhs. He hoped that by 2010 the number would go up to 10 crores.

Mr. Mahajan said the new service would have its reach in all the 17 telecom circles in the country. Within the next six months, every district in the country would be covered by its network. Jammu and Kashmir and eight States in the northeast would also be covered by next August.

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