BSNL expects a million 3G subscribers by March

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is expecting about one million subscribers of the third generation network (3G) by end of March 2010. The state owned telco currently has 700,000 3G subscribers in the country.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 3G India Mobile Operators Executive Summit, SS Sirohi, principal general manager,VAS, BSNL, told reporters, “We should have about one million 3G customers by the fiscal end.”
Earlier in the day, he had said that BSNL plans to cover 760 towns and cities in India with its 3G network within the next 3-4 months.
Sirohi also said that the company is presently offering bundled 3G services with phone manufacturers Nokia and Samsung at a price which that is 10 per cent lower than what customers get in the market, where 3G-enabled mobile phones come with a price tag of Rs 5000 onwards.
The state telecom operator offers video calls, mobile TV, mobile broadband, video downloads, movies and video sharing, mobile multiplayer gaming and video PRBT (personal ringback tone). It has recently launched two services, namely, SMS counselling and Hamshakal. The Humshakal application helps to match the face of a person with celebrities such as film stars, sport persons and other important personalities.
BSNL 3G services are available in over 100 cities in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana, Himachal, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Utttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Andaman and Nicobar and some North Eastern states.