BPL Mobile makes roaming possible for pre-paid subscibers

Usha Somayaji
31 August 2001

Now you can buy a pre-paid SIM card and use the free roaming mobile phone facility all across Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. This has been made possible for the first time in the country with the BPL Mobile launching the MOTS roamfree service recently.

The free roaming facility, which enables a customer to use the same mobile phone number in different cities, was not available before. Under the Mobile On The Spot (MOTS) scheme, pre-paid sim cards were operational only in the cities of subscription.

Announcing the launch of the new service, BPL Mobile COO Vinay Agarwal said the MOTS roamfree service would be available initially within the BPL networks in Mumbai, Maharashtra and Goa and then, to be extended in phased manner first to Kerala and Tamil Nadu and next to all major destinations acoss the country.

The company is in the process of tying up with other networks for the purpose, and will have tied up with three to four networks by the end of this month, said Agarwal. A subscriber can buy the pre-paid sim card anywhere in the country which comes at a an initial cost of Rs 999 with an airtime component worth Rs 370 in Maharashtra and Goa and Rs 500 in Mumbai with subsequent recharge options of Rs 600.

Every incoming call will be charged at Rs 2.50 per minute and the outgoing call at Rs 5 per minute within the Maharashtra-Goa circle, Rs 8 per minute for calls to other BPL networks (additional 15 per cent surcharge) and Rs 12 per minute for calls to non-BPL networks.

The technology for the pre-paid roaming sim card has been provided by Zius India.