Tata Tele launches new fixed wireless phone

Tata Teleservices Ltd on Wednesday launched the LG LSP350T FWP phone in the state in a bid to consolidate its position in the fixed wireless phone (FWP) market.

The phone, with several new features such as games, wider backlit display, predictive text messaging and messaging in Hindi, will help Tata Tele strengthen hold in the FWP market, company officials said.

However, the officials said that the inability of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) to provide short distance charging area (SDCA) access and connectivity, is hampering its FWP expansion plans in the state, especially in north Gujarat.

"We are present in 40 towns in Gujarat, but our spread plans, especially in north Gujarat towns such as Mehsana, Patan and Visnagar, are hampered because of BSNL not providing the SDCA connectivity," said Jagrut Vyas, chief operating officer (Gujarat, MP and Chhatisgarh) of Tata Tele at the launch of the new Walky.

Around 3.50-4 lakh FWP connections are added every year in Gujarat, of which Tata Tele has a share of over 70 per cent, claimed Vyas. the two other players in the FWP market in the state are Reliance Infocomm and BSNL.

FWP accounts for a major chunk of the total subscriber base of the company with over 3 lakh users. CDMA cellular subscribers account for around 1.3 lakh.

The company has spread its CDMA services to as many as 150 towns in the state, but the FWP services are restricted to 40 towns.

The company has about 20 lakh FWP subscribers across 20 circles and Gujarat has about one sixth of the company's total FWP subscribers.