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Spice to launch GPRS in 2002

Indian mobile phone company Spice Cell plans to launch a GPRS system in Calcutta by the end of next year that will give its customers better and cheaper access to the Internet, an official said.

GPRS or General Packet Radio Switching is seen as a stepping stone to third-generation mobile networks that allow higher data transmission rates, enabling the use of multimedia applications combining voice, visuals and data with mobile phones.

Spice Cell, a unit of diversified business group ModiCorp, provides cellular services in the eastern city of Calcutta and currently has over 100,000 subscribers.

"We plan to begin tests early next year and hope to roll out the GPRS network by December 2002," R Mahesh, general manager of Spice Cell, told Reuters late on Friday.

Indian mobile phone companies, which began doing business about six years ago, now operate second-generation GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) networks delivering primarily voice communications.

Spice hopes its new GPRS network will give it an edge over its rivals in Calcutta and help it maintain its number one position.

The firm's main competitor is Usha Martin Telecom, a company owned by Hong Kong's Hutchison Telecom.

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