Reliance landline service pushed back to August

Reliance Infocomm is pushing back to August the date of launch of its landline services, having been slightly discouraged by the lukewarm response to its limited mobility service.

Although work on optic fibre cable laying is almost complete, Reliance is holding back launch of the landline services because of operative reasons, company officials said.

Reliance's limited mobility service has suffered a setback in failing to rustle up, as originally planned, 2.5 million subscribers in the first two months of its soft launch in December.

So far, it has a client base of 900,000. Its limited service's commercial launch is slated for May 1.

"We are expecting a launch of the landline services in August in more than 100 cities," Reliance Infocomm sources said. The services will be extended to more than 500 cities in the second phase.

It is understood that the landline services' launch is being delayed because problems with the success of the limited mobility service.

Reliance top guns are considering a re-orientation of its marketing strategies and are expected to rework the Dhirubhai Ambani Pioneer offer tariff plan to take care of the interconnect user charges and the objections to the three-year lock-in period.

Before the landline services are introduced, the company wants to put in place about 100 Reliance Web World stores, which will provide one-stop telecom solutions.