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Kerala to get $28 mn investment in telecom
Monday, 17 May 2004, 19:30 IST
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala telecom circle, the fourth largest revenue earning circle in India, is all set to get an additional investment of about 
12 billion ($266 million) in the current financial year.
Listed among the new expansion programme for the current year is a record half a million wireless in local loop (WLL) lines at a cost of 5 billion ($111 million) and 420,00 new cellular connections. A total of 373 new base stations are also planned for the state.
This was disclosed here Monday by K. Sreekantan Nair, general manager of the circle, to reporters.
Currently CellOne Services in Kerala are the leading operators in the mobile telephone market with a record 376,524 mobile connections, both post and pre-paid.
Cellone is available in 239 cities and towns in the state and has exclusive coverage in Kavarathi and Agathi in the Lakshwadweep Islands and in the hilly districts of Idukki and Wayanad.
Nair added that the waiting list of 419,000 landlines would be cleared this financial year as well as a waiting list of 180,000 mobile connections.
With regard to revenue collections Kerala circle had a total revenue of 20 billion ($444 million) during the year 2003-04 up from 15 billion ($333 million) in 2002-03.
In the case of landline, the average revenue per use during the last financial year was 483 per month, which is one of the lowest in the country.
The revenue per line for mobile connection is 286 for prepaid and 590 for post paid subscribers.
As regards collection efficiency, Kerala circle is in the first position with about 99 percent of the billed amount getting collected before the sixth month of issue of the bill.
In the last financial year Kerala circle saw a fresh investment of Rs 9.23 billion. Kerala's tele density is 11.37 per 100 population.
Source: IANS
12 billion ($266 million) in the current financial year.
Listed among the new expansion programme for the current year is a record half a million wireless in local loop (WLL) lines at a cost of 5 billion ($111 million) and 420,00 new cellular connections. A total of 373 new base stations are also planned for the state.
This was disclosed here Monday by K. Sreekantan Nair, general manager of the circle, to reporters.
Currently CellOne Services in Kerala are the leading operators in the mobile telephone market with a record 376,524 mobile connections, both post and pre-paid.
Cellone is available in 239 cities and towns in the state and has exclusive coverage in Kavarathi and Agathi in the Lakshwadweep Islands and in the hilly districts of Idukki and Wayanad.
Nair added that the waiting list of 419,000 landlines would be cleared this financial year as well as a waiting list of 180,000 mobile connections.
With regard to revenue collections Kerala circle had a total revenue of 20 billion ($444 million) during the year 2003-04 up from 15 billion ($333 million) in 2002-03.
In the case of landline, the average revenue per use during the last financial year was 483 per month, which is one of the lowest in the country.
The revenue per line for mobile connection is 286 for prepaid and 590 for post paid subscribers.
As regards collection efficiency, Kerala circle is in the first position with about 99 percent of the billed amount getting collected before the sixth month of issue of the bill.
In the last financial year Kerala circle saw a fresh investment of Rs 9.23 billion. Kerala's tele density is 11.37 per 100 population.
Source: IANS