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Reliance lowers entry barrier for mobile phones
Tuesday, 10 February 2004, 20:30 IST
MUMBAI: Reliance Infocomm, the telecom services arm of India's largest private sector business conglomerate Reliance Industries, Monday announced its entry into the fast growing pre-paid mobile segment with attractive options.
Under its pre-paid scheme, a subscriber would be given a Motorola C131 handset for a sum of 
3,500 and recharge coupon for talk time worth 3,240 free. The user would have six months to utilise the talk time.
The subscribers would, however, be able to get incoming calls and SMS messages without recharging their account after the expiry of the six-month period, said the company, adding it will launch its pre-paid offering from Wednesday.
On tariffs for phone calls in the pre-paid segment, Reliance officials said local, intra-circle and inter-circle calls of less than 50 km to another mobile phone would be charged at a flat rate of 2.49 a minute.
All inter-circle calls above 50 km would be charged 2.99 a minute. For intra-circle and inter-circle calls up to 200 km to fixed line phones, subscribers would have to pay 2.99 a minute.
All inter-circle calls above 200 km would be charged a flat rate of 3.99 a minute, said officials.
The company hopes to add another two million subscribers by March-end this year following the launch of the pre-paid cards. Reliance has also set a target of doubling the number of users by March next year.
Reliance Infocomm has emerged as one of the country's biggest mobile phone companies within a year of its launched, claimed company officials, adding it has 6.3 million post-paid mobile phone users.
Reliance expects its network to expand to 5,000 cities and towns by March 2005 from 1,100 now.
Source: IANS
3,500 and recharge coupon for talk time worth 3,240 free. The user would have six months to utilise the talk time.
The subscribers would, however, be able to get incoming calls and SMS messages without recharging their account after the expiry of the six-month period, said the company, adding it will launch its pre-paid offering from Wednesday.
On tariffs for phone calls in the pre-paid segment, Reliance officials said local, intra-circle and inter-circle calls of less than 50 km to another mobile phone would be charged at a flat rate of 2.49 a minute.
All inter-circle calls above 50 km would be charged 2.99 a minute. For intra-circle and inter-circle calls up to 200 km to fixed line phones, subscribers would have to pay 2.99 a minute.
All inter-circle calls above 200 km would be charged a flat rate of 3.99 a minute, said officials.
The company hopes to add another two million subscribers by March-end this year following the launch of the pre-paid cards. Reliance has also set a target of doubling the number of users by March next year.
Reliance Infocomm has emerged as one of the country's biggest mobile phone companies within a year of its launched, claimed company officials, adding it has 6.3 million post-paid mobile phone users.
Reliance expects its network to expand to 5,000 cities and towns by March 2005 from 1,100 now.
Source: IANS