After BSNL, its now MTNL too. The Chairman of MTNL, J. Gopalan reported to the media saying,

“MTNL hopes to bring the best possible 3G services to the common man at affordable rates,”

Well, BSNL has announced the launch of its 3G services by this December and also the state-owned telecom operator’s metropolis counterpart, MTNL, too has plans to offer this next generation service to consumers around the same time. Sounds interesting…

Also said by the chairman,

“Our basic core network is ready for 3G. We’re trying to give 3G as a New Year gift to our customers.”

Well, we have to wait and watch whether our New Year gift for 2009 would be an interesting one or not…!

Anyways, below is an email interview with J. Gopalan by TechTree.

Techtree: What services can a consumer expect to use after immediate launch of 3G services by MTNL?
J. Gopalan: High speed data download up to 2 mbps, streaming services, Mobile TV etc. will be available immediately; video calling will be introduced subsequently.

Techtree: What steps will MTNL take to capture the interest of consumers, so it retains them and increases subscriber-base even after other operators start rolling out 3G services?
J. Gopalan: We will strive to provide the finest services to our customers like good speed, best content, M-commerce based services; services which develop stickiness to operator.

Techtree: Does MTNL plan to tie-up with mobile phone manufacturers to promote and sell its 3G services?
J. Gopalan: At present we do not have any such plans. We’re open for anything which will give better services to our customers. But as of today, I cannot elaborate on this.

Techtree: Will MTNL have binding data plans for its 3G services where a user won’t be allowed to shift to another telecom operator for services?
J. Gopalan: This is not permitted as per current regulations. In fact, subscribers will soon have the freedom to shift operators retaining his/her old number.

Techtree: Finally, how much will the 3G services cost a mobile phone user?
J. Gopalan: We’re working on end-user pricing. But it’s a fact that MTNL will provide 3G services at the most affordable rates as we believe that common person should be able to use all new services.

Courtesy: TechTree