The Hindu Business Line : Karnataka plans to have 1,000 e-PCOs by March

Mangalore, Jan. 9 The e-PCO (public call office) initiative – which has been jointly launched by Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), Intel, Itz Cash and PCO Association – will be extended to 1,000 PCOs by the end of March, according to Mr S.V. Rajendra, President of the PCO Association, Karnataka.

Speaking at an awareness programme on ‘e-PCO’ here on Friday, he said that the e-PCO initiative is aimed at transforming the current BSNL PCOs into Internet service centres that can offer services such as train, bus and air ticket bookings; payment of utility bills; and can provide mobile recharge facilities to customers.

Such awareness camps on e-PCO have already been conducted in Bangalore, Mysore and Kodagu districts. Till now, 500 e-PCOs have been booked by PCO owners. Of them, nearly 150 are working, he said. “We have plans to reach 1,000 e-PCOs by the end of March this year,” he said, adding that e-PCOs offer a good revenue model for PCO operators.

With the advent of mobile telephones, the PCO business will also have to look at new business opportunities such as e-PCOs, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr S.M. Hegde, Assistant General Manager, Dakshina Kannada Telecom District, urged the PCO operators in the district to make use of this new business opportunity. Under the e-PCO initiative, BSNL extends broadband connection to the existing PCOs to provide them with an alternative revenue option.

He said that nearly 1,500 wireless PCOs have been allotted for Dakshina Kannada Telecom District. The existing PCO operators can avail themselves of the benefits of these wireless PCOs under a new scheme, he added.

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