The Hindu Business Line : Phones on demand by March: BSNL(Kerala)

Addressing a press conference in the city on Friday, Mr S.A. Thomas, Chief General Manager, Kerala Circle-BSNL, said the company expects to provide both fixed line and mobile telephones on demand by the end of the current fiscal.

The company has set a target of providing 6.1 lakh fixed line phones (including WLL connections) and eight lakh mobile phones by the end of the current fiscal. Till September 30 this year, the company has provided over 1.39 lakh fixed lines and two lakh mobile phones connections, he added.

KERALA AHEAD

With 56.47 lakh telephone connections, including 17.57 lakh mobile phone connections and 38.9 fixed line connections, the Kerala Circle is ahead of all other BSNL circles in total number of telephone connections, Mr Thomas said.

However, when fixed line connections alone are considered, Kerala comes second after the Maharashtra Circle of BSNL, he added.

Over the past year, the company has introduced broadband services in all secondary switching areas in the Kerala Circle. It expects to take the broadband service to all exchanges in Kerala over the current year, Mr Thomas said.

In economic terms, 2005-06 has been a good year for the Kerala Circle, which earned a profit of Rs 890.12 crore against Rs 686.1 crore in 2004-05, he said. The company's total revenue from the Kerala Circle in 2005-06 was Rs 2,972.51 crore, up from Rs 2,576.8 crore in 2004-05.

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