BSNL to connect all villages by 2007 : CMD

Hyderabad, June 19 (UNI) The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) would connect all villages through 'individual satellite telephone' network by March 2007 in the country, its Chairman and Managing Director A K Sinha said today.

Addressing the presspersons here, he said 14,000 villages would be connected through the satellite telephone network at the cost of Rs 150 crore. At least one telephone would be installed in the villages where there was no access to phone facility. Despite the network being costly, BSNL would collect nominal charges from the users, he added.

The 'triple play,' a video service on demand, internet and telephone at single point service would be launched in Chennai and Pune in two months, Mr Sinha said, adding that while the content would be provided by the partners, BSNL would provide network facility for the service.

The BSNL was also planning to expand its mobile netwrok by providing six crore mobile phone connections in the next three years, he added.

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