The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) launched its 3G mobile services in pre and post-paid plans in the city on Wednesday, even as the top officials used the occasion to dispel apprehensions about the negative effects of radiation supposedly arising out of use of these advanced services.
To access these services, new users should purchase a USIM card for Rs.59 and choose either pre-paid or post-paid plan.
The existing customers, both pre-paid and post-paid, will be able to retain the same number for using the 3G services.
A recharge of Rs.120 with a validity of 180 days offers 50 minutes of video and 25 mb of data worth Rs.20.
Further recharges could be made for amounts ranging from Rs.55 to Rs.3,300.
Tariff details could be had by calling the toll-free number 1800 180 1503.
BSNL AP Telecom Circle Chief General Manager T.N. Sudhindra Kumar, who launched the services, said that there was an ever-growing enthusiasm for new technologies and whatever fears being expressed over ill-effects of radiation were “baseless and unfounded”. There was no recorded proof available until now in support of these “ill-effects”, he asserted.
“The radiation is in very small doses and there will be no harm to users. It is like ultra-violet rays in sunlight where impact depends on intensity,” he explained.
Mr. Kumar made a special and elaborate mention of these fears, explaining that there would be a little heating impact if one used the phone for an unbroken long time.
A few individual cases of ill-effects being reported might have resulted from various other factors, as different sources of radiation were present nowadays.
‘Good demand'
Mr. Kumar made video calls from here to Vizianagaram and Ongole district Collectors, who were chief guests at the launch functions of 3G services there. He said there was a good demand for 3G services as evident from the fact that they had already activated over 6,000 connections since the launch of the services by Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan on March 3.
He said they had expectations of getting nearly 50,000 3G connections this month.
All mobile phones having 3G compatibility and IMEI numbers could be used to access these services.
Salient features
BSNL General Manager M. John Chrisostom said that 3G involved salient features like video telephony, mobile broadband from 384 kbps to 2 mbps, mobile TV and movies on demand among other facilities.
D.C. Jain, General Manager, Mobile Services, also spoke. DGM (Customer Services) Y. Ravindranath proposed a vote of thanks.
Keywords: BSNL, Launching of 3G services, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
