joins hands with BPL Mobile

Mumbai: ICICI Bank and BPL Mobile have tied up to allow recharge of BPLs prepaid cellular service facility (branded mots) at any of the banks 1,000-plus ATMs across India. A subscriber will also have to hold an account with ICICI Bank.

The prepaid service will be recharged against payment, which will be debited from the customers bank account. "This facility will be introduced in the BPL cellular circles of Maharashtra, Mumbai and Goa; it will soon be extended to cover the circles of Tamil Nadu and Kerala," says BPL Mobile president and CEO F B Cardoso.

Over 50 per cent of BPLs subscribers, numbering nearly 1 million, are in the prepaid category. ICICI Bank has over 5 million customers. The bank will, of course, earn an identified commission out of this arrangement.

ICICI Bank already has a facility with Bharti Cellular in New Delhi for recharge of the prepaid facility at its ATMs. "We will shortly have such an arrangement with Bharti in Kolkata as well," says ICICI Bank executive director Chanda Kochhar.