BSNL offers rent-free landlines

In a bid to tap the rural market, state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd on Wednesday said it would provide rent-free telephones to customers in villages.

This scheme would commence from August 1 and would be made applicable only for those rural telephone exchanges that have the capacity of 1,000 phone lines, BSNL General Manager Hari Shankar Sharma said.

For STD facility, the consumer would have to deposit Rs 500 as security money, which would be refunded when the consumer disconnects from the facility.