Tata Teleservices plans tariff salvo to take on Reliance

Tata Teleservices, to counter the looming threat of competition from Reliance Infocomm, is planning to offer new tariff packages across all circles shortly.

The company has already submitted its tariff proposals to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for approval.

It is also gearing up to offer voice and data services that are being promised to be offered by Reliance before the new operator comes into picture.

"We are the first telecom company in the country to introduce code division multiple access 2000 1X technology, initially in the Andhra Pradesh circle and recently in other circles such as Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Our networks are capable of offering services such as text messaging, always-on-Internet at higher speed, streaming video and multi media messaging. However, we are awaiting Trai's approval for launching the schemes," Tata Teleservices managing director S Ramakrishnan said.

For many of these services, the regulator's sanction is necessary, he added.

"We do not think that the subscribers are so sensitive to pulse rates such as 15 seconds, Ramakrishnan said when asked whether they are planning to reduce the pulse rate in line with Reliance's announcement.

"But we are planning to offer a scheme in which calls between Tata phones in any of our six circle be charged only local call rates," he revealed.

Reliance had announced that calls made between inter-circle subscribers will be charged at 40 paise per minute and will not be levied at STD rates.

In an another major move, TTSL is planning to order an intelligent network platform, which facilitates to offer pre-paid cards even in limited mobility service and provide instant billing information to the subscribers.

The company is debating between two vendors and is expected to finalise one of them in the next few days.

The company's telecom networks are supplied by Lucent Technologies. According to Ramakrishna, TTSL has also started offering finance facility on its own and in association with State Bank of India, for purchasing CDMA handsets by the subscribers.