BSNL to provide video on cell phone

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Bhopal, Jan 3 (UNI) The public sector Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited in partnership with private parties will provide inter-product television (IPT) service like voice, video and data to its mobile phone customers from this year.

To start with, IPT will be launched this month on an experimental basis in Pune while other circles have been asked to select suitable private partners, BSNL Chairman cum Managing Director Anil Kumar Sinha told reporters here today.

He said the company had declared 2007 as ''Year of Broadband'' for capacity expansion and all Gram Panchayats will have broadband coverage by 2008. BSNL is planning to add five million port capacity to existing network of one million ports.

All telephone exchanges with more than 1,000 lines will be broadband enabled under the expansion plan, covering 1,000 towns and 20,000 villages.

Aiming to expand broadband coverage for all secondary and higher secondary schools and all primary health centres by December this year, BSNL is in the process of launching broadband access through WiMax technology in 1,000 block headquarters, Mr Sinha said.

He said all future landline telephone instruments will be procured with latest features like CLIP facility and existing landline phones would be replaced gradually.

The BSNL chief said henceforth digital exchanges would be set up in rural areas, particularly in 14,000 inaccessible interior villages. There are 400 such villages in Madhya Pradesh, he pointed out.