Industry Odisha Bureau, Jul 10: Government of India-run BSNL has launched a satellite phone for Rs 1.34 lakh, part of its push to expand satellite communication services to defence, maritime and disaster-response users.
In a social media post, the BSNL mentioned that the satellite phone is priced at Rs 1,34,166 apiece, including all taxes, and has been designed for challenging environments, offering voice calls and SMS services in remote areas not covered by conventional mobile networks.
“When conventional mobile networks can’t reach, the BSNL Satellite Phone keeps you connected. Designed for challenging environments, making it an ideal solution for Defence, Maritime, Disaster Response, Mining, Remote Operations and Adventure Travel,” the BSNL wrote on a social media post.
Users can contact the nearest BSNL office for more details, the telco said while sharing a mobile number in the post. The mobile number, however, was not responsive.
The new phone will come in handy for not just government-run defence establishments and rescue responder agencies, but also private users in sectors such as infrastructure, mining, maritime sailing, and more.
Postpaid: For government agencies, there are two plans– G1 and G2 with fixed monthly charges of Rs 3,500 and Rs 5,835, offering 16 minutes and 30 minutes of talktime and SMS, respectively. For commercial users, there is Plan C1 for Rs 11,670 per month, and users are entitled to 60 minutes of talktime and SMS.
Pre-paid plans—For government agencies, BSNL is offering Plan G1 for Rs 3,500 per month. It offers 20 minutes of talktime and SMS. There is also an annual GA plan for Rs 38,500, and this offers 240 minutes of talktime and SMS.
For commercial users, BSNL is offering Plan C1 for Rs 5,835 per month. It offers 30 minutes of talktime and SMS. There is also an annual CA plan for Rs 64,185, and this offers 360 minutes of talktime and SMS.
Notably, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) issued the instructions on June 12, 2017, in respect of the provision of satellite-based services, which inter alia mandated that BSNL is required to complete the customer acquisition process prescribed for mobile connections, as amended from time to time.
“BSNL shall also obtain from the subscriber the details such as place of use, period of use and the purpose for which satellite handset shall be used. Additionally, the GSPS service is inherently a secure communication as information is transferred in encrypted form,” officials said.
BSNL’s satellite phone postpaid plans were available for government and commercial entities at fixed monthly charges of Rs 3,500, Rs 5,835 and Rs 11,670, offering 16, 30 and 60 minutes of free talk time or SMS.
BSNL has been charging Rs 3,500 per month with free talk time of 20 minutes or Rs 38,500 per annum with 240 minutes free talk time for pre-paid plans for government entities, while commercial entities could avail a monthly charge of Rs 5,835 with 30 minutes free talk time or Rs 64,185 per annum with 360 minutes free talk time.
Post free minutes, government entities are charged Rs 18 per min or per SMS, while commercial entities are charged at Rs 25 per minute or SMS.
According to the officials, additional recharges or top-ups for prepaid plans are available in denominations of Rs 200, Rs 500, Rs 1,000, Rs 5000 and Rs 10,000.
