Rajahmundry, Aug 24th: The Bharat  Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has launched pilot project called ‘Udaan’ in Rajahmundry in East Godavari on Monday to take its services to the doorstep of its customers. Disclosing details of the project after its launch, the AP telecom circle chief general manager (CGM), Mr. T.N. Sundheendra Kumar, said that customers seeking connections for landline, broadband and WLL phone need not approach the local BSNL office and could instead avail these facilities at their doorstep if they called a tool free number, seeking a particular service. He said that in the wake of stiff competition from private agencies in offering communication services and to retain existing customers besides getting new customers, they are trying to reach customers to provide services.

The CGM said that out 24lakh landline connections in the state, two lakh were cancelled last year. However he maintained that BSNL was standing first in offering landline connections as well as broadband services and said that the BSNL had 60 percent share in broadband services in the state. The BSNL was planning to replace the conventional billing system for landline customer with CDR billing.

As per the new billing system, the bill would be generated as per the talktime, unlike a fixed tariff. Maintaining that the BSNL had dues worth Rs 300 crore from customers of land line, mobile and broadband services, ha said they were going to engage private agencies to recover the dues under a project called ‘Kuber’. Mr. Kumar also announced that they are going to offer 3G services in 29 urban centers in the state and added that by March next, the intended to complete 50 percent of the target. Similarly, the BSNL is also going to increase its mobile connections to 22.5 lakh in the state in the same period.