MTNL to clear broadband waiting list soon

MUMBAI, INDIA: Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) will clear its waiting list of around 30,000 broadband connections with in month. The state-owned telecom behemoth is also planning to double the number of subscribers to 5 million each in both its Mumbai and Delhi circles by the end of this year.

Speaking to reporters, MTNL chairman and managing director RSP Sinha said that "There is a waiting list of around 30,000 connections in the city, which occurred due to a delay in supply of equipment".

However, we will clear this in one month's time.

The company has around 2.6 million broadband users each in the two cities and was planning to double the number of subscribers in this year.

Sinha also said that company was exploring opportunities in global markets like Turkey, Kuwait and Sri Lanka. The company was also in advanced stages of negotiations with Sri Lanka's SunTel.

Meanwhile, MTNL launched its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services in Mumbai. The services, which were launched earlier in Delhi, will enable users to make calls to US, UK, Canada and Australia at Re 1 per minute.

This is in comparison with the existing minimum rate of Rs 7 per minute for calls to US and other countries. The calls can be made from a normal telephone, unlike the existing method of using a personal computer for VoIP calls.

The service titled Netfone would also be available for its public call office operators, he said