Dial N for Telephonic News

Guwahati, Aug 6: Stuck somewhere with no access to newspapers and internet! Do not worry, your very own local news in your native language is just a dial away.

Two youngsters of Asom's mofussil town of Sibsagar introduced the first language telephonic news service of the country heralding new concept of not only media but a viable business, probably opening up a new horizon of local news distribution using the most handy tool of communication - Mobile phone.

The two youngsters, Luit Chaliha and Atanu Bora, both journalists, have set up the Rongpur Telephonic News Service at Sibsagar. You can get a complete three to four minute long news bulletin presented by a newsreader if you dial the particular number from any phone, be it land like or mobile.

So wherever you are, if you have an access to a telephone or a mobile, dial the number to hear the news, which is updated twice a day.

The innovative concept has caught everyone by surprise. ''We are now in touch with BSNL and have in fact moved a proposal to share the revenue generated by the incoming phone calls to the numbers,'' said an enthusiastic Luit Chaliha, pleased by the huge response it has been attracting.

With reading habit shrinking and most people being on the move throughout the day, the telephonic news service has emerged as the most popular mode of disseminating information in Upper Asom as most of the news are loaded with local flavour and content.

The language of the news service is Asomiya. With a complete new concept, nobody is sure whether it needs a license from anybody.

''We have not taken any license. We do not think we need anything because we are not broadcasting through any other means. This is a private telephone call between two phone numbers,'' said Mr Chaliha.

Close to 2000 calls are received every day. ''We shall be happy to get some percentage of revenue from the service provider, the BSNL,''said Mr Chaliha, one of the two co-founders of the innovative service.

He also informed that two other private operators are in touch with them. ''If the proposal with the BSNL does not materialise, we will shift the service to the private operators, who are eager to have us,'' he said.

With technology making it a very simple operation, the news distribution has reached a new level with the phone numbers getting more popular, especially for those residing outside Asom as it is the easiest way to get the local news.

Mr Chaliha is a photo journalist while Mr Bora has been running a cable news service in Sibsagar, one of the major towns of Upper Asom. They have tied up with a local newspaper for publicity.

''We have financial constraints by money and I do hope that word of mouth is the most potent weapon for publicity,'' said Mr Chaliha.

''We can handle up to 100 calls a minute and if the demand increases, we will strengthen our server further '' said Mr Chaliha.

So if you want to get local news of Asom, just dial 9435057226 any time anywhere, you will get everything nicely read out to you.

UNI