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MTNL's Dolphin to slash airtime rates

NetScribes / Sunil Joshi

After much deliberations and delays, MTNL has finally decided to slash its airtime rates to Rs 1.40 per minute. Only this time around, the revision is triggered by the rivals' move to cut their rates.

However, the Dolphin cellular service might find it much tougher to sustain the revision, in view of its lack of value-added services and a minimal subscriber base.

"The company has already missed two deadlines for its roaming service launch. In view of Dolphin's penchant for delays, it's very difficult to imagine when airtime rates would be actually slashed,' says a senior analyst from a leading foreign bank.

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd's cellular service, Dolphin, which had promised the roaming service launch by end-May, has once again failed to keep its word. And subscribers are not amused.

"Today, I use a cellular service, which doesn't allow me to use the facility outside of Bombay. Plus, the Dolphin tariff is now actually higher as compared to its two rivals," said an irate Dolphin subscriber.

BPL Mobile and Orange slashed their rates a few days ago, making Dolphin an expensive proposition.

At Rs 2.70 for an outgoing call and 1.50 for an incoming, Dolphin has clearly become costlier after BPL Mobile and Orange dropped rates to Rs 1.80/ Rs 1.49 for both incoming and outgoing calls. Also, it still does not offer a pre-paid card.

But MTNL refuses to relent. "We will offer competitive tariffs with a range of new tariff plans for the subscriber to choose from," says a senior spokesperson.

Even if MTNL were to deliver the goods this time, it might just prove to be too late. With BPL Mobile and Orange offering better service at far cheaper rates, Dolphin has a daunting task ahead; it not only has to get new subscribers but also retain existing ones.

Complaints against Dolphin include poor call transmission and call dropping, in addition to a helpdesk number that greets subscribers with an engaged tone more often than not.

MTNL's Bombay office seems to have no clue about the company's strategy. "We are awaiting directions from the corporate office," is all that the spokesperson had to say about the missed roaming service deadline.

It will require a great leap for Dolphin to get anywhere in the cellular sweepstakes. Even as it prepares for the feat, subscribers will be looking at other options.

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