BSNL to expand 3G services to 700 cities by June

07 March 2009

Public sector telecom giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) is all geared up to start 3G services across north and east India in June 2009 and in the south in July, a senior company official said on Friday.

''We plan to bring 3G to north and east India by June. The services would be launched in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand and Assam,'' BSNL deputy director general (VAS) S S Sirohi told reporters in Mumbai.

BSNL plans to cover over 700 cities in the next three months, Sirohi added. The company is set to launch 3G in Kolkata next month.

It had already started 3G in Delhi last year, and in 13 cities such as Chennai, Jammu, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ambala, Shimla, Jalandhar, Agra, Dehra Dun, Patna, Ranchi, Haldia and Durgapur on 27 February.

3G is the next generation of mobile communications systems over the currently available 2G and 2.5G services. 3G drastically enhances multimedia and internet access with ability to view video on your handset, watch live TV, download music tracks in addition to usual other services.

Sirohi added that mobile value added services (VAS) are picking up fast in the country which would create an additional revenue of Rs.6000 crore in the current year (2009) and could go up to Rs.18,000 crore by 2012.