S Tel enters Assam, focuses on regional VAS

S Tel, a joint venture between Siva Group and Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco), announced the launch of its GSM service in Assam, starting with 26 towns of the state.
The company will shortly launch its service in the remaining cities of Assam and other North East states including Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.
S Tel is offering two tariff packages in the state: Starter Pack at Rs 49 with 30 days validity, and a limited period launch offer with full Talk time on all top-ups.
Shamik Das, chief executive officer, S Tel, said, “Our strategy is aimed at making benefits of mobility accessible first to under-penetrated markets of Assam and then gradually expanding to bigger towns, thus aiming to bridge the stratum divide as we roll out our services in phases across the region. By the end of this year, we plan to expand our reach across 90 major towns of Assam. We aim to provide a congestion free network with excellent voice quality to consumers in our markets of operation.”
Soumen Ghosh, chief operating officer, Assam and North East circle, S Tel, said, “Today onwards, S Tel products and services can be availed across 2,300 plus retail points present in 26 key towns. Within six months, we aim to double the size of our retailer universe i.e., above 4,500 point of sales, thus ensuring easy access to products anywhere across our markets of operation.”
S Tel offers caller tunes from a database of more than 1,000 songs in Assamese, featuring singers such as Bhupen Hazarika, Zubeen Garg, Udit Narayan, Dikshu and Barnali, to its customers in the state. Voice services in Assamese include regional songs, career advice, travel and tourism related information, local recipes and devotional content from Maa Kamakhya temple. The company also plans to launch a regional voice portal soon and will shortly extend mobile commerce solutions to its customers.