BSNL eyes 150% growth in cell phone connections in Vizag

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is expecting a growth of more than 150 per cent in cell phone connections in Visakhapatnam district during the current year.

"During last fiscal, the number of our cell connections reached about 30,000. At present, it's about 56,000 and by the end of March 2006, we are going to add 25,000-30,000 more connections," J Ganta, general manager, BSNL, told media persons on the occasion of launching 'Excel Anant', the new lifetime SIM card in the district.

BSNL, which enrolled 26,000 new cell phone consumers by the end of December 2005, is expected to expand its subscriber base to 25,000-30,000 during the next two-and-a-half months with the introduction of 'Excel Anant' and other schemes.

According to Ganta, BSNL currently has a 30 per cent market share in the cell phones segment in the district.

With the setting up of the main switch station in the district last November, BSNL was in a position to give cell phone connections to 2 lakh subscribers, he said, adding that 40 new cell towers were being set up in the district to increase the coverage of the company.

"While five towers are ready, the work on 10 will be completed within a couple of months," he said.

"Our landline connections' growth in the district has become stagnant during this year as against the slight negative growth during the last fiscal. However, we are expecting growth in the segment too as new consumers are being enrolled for wireless landline connections," he said.

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Getting connected

BSNL plans to add 25,000-30,000 more connections by the end of March 2006

It is setting up 40 new cell towers in Visakhapatnam district to increase the coverage of the company

Expects growth in the landline connections segment too