Tech Shout!

It is BSNL now offering its lifetime validity scheme of Rs 949 to its pre-paid customers.

This scheme would incorporate a talk time of Rs 99, and BSNL-to-BSNL calls would be charged at Rs 1.60 per minute while calls made to other networks would cost Rs 2 per minute. BSNL-to-BSNL rates for STD calls would be Rs 2.40 per minute and calls to other networks would be charged at Rs 2.99 per minute.

What’s more, the state-owned BSNL has also announced a 28 percent cut in the tariffs for its fixed line telecom services. The maximum monthly rental for fixed phones is now Rs 180. the company calls the 28 percent reduction in fixed line rentals as a New Year’s gift to the company’s 3.5 crore fixed line customers. The new fixed phone scheme that comes into effect from January 1 will continue with the existing 50 free calls and Rs 1.20 per three-minute-call rate.

Tata Indicom has also introduced a “Lifetime Offer” - Non Stop Life – amidst the spate of lifetime schemes. Tata’s highly successful two-year validity scheme on pre-paid cards (which had as many as one million additional subscribers in 45 days after the launch of its two-year validity scheme) resulted in major service providers countering it with “Lifetime Offers”.

Tata Indicom’s ‘Non Stop Life’ offer is available for a one-time charge of Rs 999. It comes with a choice of four different mobile handsets, including a camera phone, with a starting price of Rs 2199.

The new ‘Non Stop Life’ offer enables customers to receive free incoming calls for life and recharge values are also carried forward for life. Outgoing call rates from Tata-to-Tata are 99 paise per minute.