Guwahati, Feb. 28: BSNL?s CellOne will be launched here tomorrow following Delhi?s strict directive to start the cellular phone service in Assam within February. The BSNL will be the second cellular service provider in the city after Reliance Telecom, which is at present locked in a stand-off with the National Students Union of India (NSUI).
A senior BSNL official on condition of anonymity said the CellOne launch had to be advanced following a strict directive from Delhi.
?We received instructions from Delhi last evening that the service has to be launched within February. Tomorrow being the last day of the month, the launch has to take place anyway,? the official said. The service was scheduled for a launch early next month.
?We have to obey Delhi?s orders. Maybe the Centre has made a commitment to someone somewhere,? the official quipped. He said only 50 or 60 of the 7,700 SIM cards would be distributed at the inaugural ceremony tomorrow. A first lot of 7,700 customers was chosen through a lucky draw.
?It will be a token launch, but we shall complete distribution of the rest of the SIM cards in about 10 days? time,? he said. The official said the customers would be able to operate their mobile phones from tomorrow. ?The customers will be able to enjoy the service in several other districts too, even though the official commissioning in those areas will take a while. The system is already in place in the districts,? he said. The CellOne will eventually cover entire Assam and even the national highways criss-crossing the state.
The launch comes at a time when the Reliance Telecom and the NSUI have locked horns over the telecom giant?s decision to cancel the pre-paid card system. The students? organisation has convened a meeting of senior citizens and Reliance Telecom officials here on Sunday to resolve the stand-off. NSUI?s key demands include resumption of the pre-paid regime and return of the Rs 1,000 security deposit charged from each customer during the migration process.
Gauhati High Court had admitted four public interest litigations (PILs) on February 19, challenging the move of the Reliance Telecom to switch from the pre-paid to the post-paid regime and directed all parties concerned to file their affidavits before the next hearing on March 10.
Reliance Telecom officials said the ministry of telecommunications had, on October 23, directed the company to effect the change on security grounds. The petitioners argued in the PILs that the move was arbitrary, putting an additional financial burden on the subscribers.