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Tata Teleservices to start services in 4 states

R Srinivasan

Tata Teleservices, which has the letter of intents for providing basic telephone services in 15 other circles, will sign an agreement with the department of telecommunications later this week to start services in four states - Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Tata Teleservices is now the only private basic telephone provider in Andhra Pradesh.

According to Tata Teleservices managing director S Ramakrishnan, the company has kept in abeyance its earlier decision to enter basic telephone services in Maharashtra in view of the memorandum of understanding with Hughes Tele.com India, which is operating in the state.

"We will wait for the outcome of the discussions with Hughes, now in an advance stage, before proceeding further in so far as Maharashtra is concerned," he told Business Standard in Hyderabad.

Ramakrishnan said of the remaining 10 circles, Tata Teleservices plans to enter only Punjab, Haryana and may be, Kerala. The board will take a decision on these circles at its next meeting, he added.

Meanwhile, Tata Teleservices on Tuesday became the first private operator in the country to launch post-paid Internet services on a regular telephone line through its new product, NetReady Internet Service.

The unique feature of NetReady is that the customer can access the Internet and pay the bill later along with the telephone bill. To avail this service the applicant must have one Tata Teleservices telephone connection, either wireline, fixed wireless or Mobitel.

Ramakrishnan, who handed over the first CD of the NetReady Internet Services to the first customer, the senior executive of one of the local firms, to mark the launch, said the customer could use a BSNL telephone connection too for accessing the Internet as long as there is a billing relationship with Tata Teleservices.

The customer is given a password, which enables him to access the services whenever he needs to surf the Net.

The Tata Teleservices chief said soon the facility would be extended to the other major towns in Andhra Pradesh where Tata basic telephone service is available - Vijaytawada, Guntur, Visakhapaytnam etc.

"We are also in discussion with our sister concern, Tata Internet Services, so that NetReady could be made available in those cities where TataNova has its presence," he disclosed.

The NetReady Service can be availed by paying a one-time annual registration fee of Rs 100 only. The customer will then have two service-packages to choose from: Surf@ease package offers customers hours of access at Rs 11 per hour while Surf@unlimited offers the customers unlimited usage at Rs 330 per month.

The 50 per cent discount on usage while accessing on Sundays and during 11 pm and 7 am on all days will also be available.

Ramakrishnan claimed that the new service provides convenience ( one-time annual registration and monthly consolidated bill), faster connectivity, accurate billing till the last second of usage and a host of innovative services to its customers.

Tata Teleservices chief operating officer Ajay Pande said his company had been in the forefront of telecommunication technology. "With the launch of NetReady Internet services, Tata Teleservices leads the convergence era in the country," he claimed.

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