Dialup users in the metros would be happy to know that Government bodies BSNL and MTNL would be rolling out their broadband services from the 15th of next month. They are planning to offer packages with speeds of 256kbps with rates starting from Rs. 500. However, no details are available yet on what kind of limits these companies would apply.
The services would be launched in New Delhi and Mumbai by MTNL and Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad by BSNL. More cities would be covered in the coming months. Communications Minister, Dayanidhi Maran told a parliamentary group: “Though the 256 Kbps costs 3,000 rupees in the market, the telecom public sector undertakings have agreed to provide the same services at Rs 500 a monthā€¯.
Their main competition would come from Airtel Broadband and Reliance who are currently active in limited areas. Other players in the market like Sify Broadband are also going to be affected. They sell their 256kbps packages for around 2500 rupees with data transfer limit of 1GB. Users can expect the current players to drop down the prices to compete with these low rates from the major telecom players.
