Tata Tele to open 1.5 lakh PCOs with Parsec instruments

02 July 2007

Tata Teleservices is launching a new telecom device branded `Parsec'' that will allow consumers to pay utility bills, check their bank balance, buy movie tickets, transfer money, buy railway or airline tickets, recharge pre-paid card phones, send SMS and make a telephone call all through a single device from a single point.

The company is tying up with mobile electronic top up service providers, banks, airlines ticketing service providers and the IRCTC to roll out more than 1.5 lakh such devices across the country in kirana stores and large retail chains on the PCO booth model.

Telecom service provider Tata Telecom has proposed rolling out over 1.5 lakh Parsec-enabled PCOs across India this fiscal.

''Parsec'' will target high-end PCO operators, hotels, restaurants and banks and enable users to check movie reviews, music, cricket scores, gaming, purchase airline tickets and pay electricity bills.

Accordingly, the company is tying up with mobile electronic top-up service providers, banks, airline booking agents and electricity boards. TTSL has already tied up with ICICI bank to process transactions and also get a certificate from credit card issuers Mastercard and Visa.

The company would deploy parsec terminals at its own cost and charge ''rentals'' from banks for each parsec activated with point of sale (POS) terminals.