BSNL To Offer Net Telephony Soon

BSNL broadband users will be able to make international calls to any part of the world for as low as Re 1 per minute through their fixedline phones. The PSU will be soon floating a global tender for technical tie-up to offer internet telephony services across the country. BSNL is looking to offer internet telephony, or Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), by the year end, a top company official told ET on condition of anonymity. That may make BSNL the second telco after MTNL to offer VoIP, where subscribers can enjoy ultra-cheap ISD calls without even having a computer at home. Last month, MTNL, which offers telecom services in Delhi and Mumbai, had launched internet telephony in these metros by utilising its broadband network. MTNL had tied up with Aksh Optifibre to be its network and technical partner to offer VoIP services. As per the deal, Aksh will invest about Rs 110 crore towards enabling MTNL''s VoIP service during the next three years. The MTNL offer is open to those who did not have a PC at home. Such customers are required to subscribe to MTNL''s broadband connection (which comes for monthly rentals starting at Rs 199) and buy an analog telephone adaptor (ATA) for Rs 1,500. The adaptor converts the fixedline phone into an IP (internet protocol) device so that the user does not have to use a computer and carry it over the broadband internet line. Globally, this kind of service, which is fixed to one location, is generally offered by broadband internet providers such as cable and telephone companies as a cheaper flat-rate equivalent to the traditional landline service. While private operators have so far refrained from matching MTNL''s move, BSNL''s entry into this segment is set to change the market dynamics and force other operators to follow suit. So far, all major telcos have not ventured into internet telephony as they fear it will eat into their revenues from traditional mobile and fixedline calls.