TATA DOCOMO, the GSM brand of Tata Teleservices Limited, announced the commercial launch of its operations in Kolkata, hot on the heels of its launch in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Orissa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Mumbai, Rest of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh and Haryana.
The company’s Next-Gen GSM service started on a heady note, with TTSL Managing Director Anil Sardana lighting the ceremonial lamp along with TATA DOCOMO President Deepak Gulati, making Kolkata the 10th Circle to go live on the TATA DOCOMO network.
TATA DOCOMO also announced a novel “Pay-for-what-you-use” model for subscribers in Kolkata, with a pulse of one second, and a pricing of just 1 paisa per second. The company’s pan-India service rollout, which was kicked off in late June, will be completed this year itself.
In a message at the launch press conference, Mr Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons, said: “The value proposition offered by TATA-DOCOMO is a unique and revolutionary idea which symbolizes the spirit of innovation and inventive genius. This launch is truly a moment of triumph for the consumer. The launch of pay-per-use, per-second concept offered by TATA-DOCOMO will create a paradigm shift in the overall telecom experience for the customer and provide a service that is refreshingly different.”
Introducing the One-Second Pulse—Local, STD & ISD
TATA DOCOMO also unleashed a wide array of products and services, riding on the back of path-breaking innovative products and services, & never-before tariff options. “We had made a promise that we would bring to the country products and services that would redefine the telecom experience,” Mr Anil Sardana said. “It is a privilege to be fulfilling that promise in the Kolkata—where subscribers are discerning and seek transparency, innovation and differentiation. Our partnership with NTT DOCOMO will help us provide our subscribers with tremendous technological and service differentiation. Keeping in view the century of trust associated with the House of Tata, we are launching the concept of fare being fair. From today, TATA DOCOMO subscribers in Kolkata will be able to enjoy the benefits of pay-as-you-use,” he added.
NTT DOCOMO is acknowledged as the global leader in 3G technology and respected worldwide for its futuristic product innovations.
Announcing some very aggressive pricing and customization options, Mr Deepak Gulati said: “In a market that is cluttered with many operators and throws up confusing options, we will offer simplicity to consumers by being the country’s most transparent, innovative and liberating telecom brand. The first move on this front is to cut through the clutter and redefine the entire pricing paradigm—from Day One of our launch, we will work on a per-second pricing model for almost everything, be it voice calls, VAS services, IVR interactions. Above all, we promise to always listen to our subscribers.”
“We are focusing strongly on network superiority, coverage and service offerings. Our network footprint is the largest among all telecom operators in the Kolkata telecom district, at the time of launch. We have already made large investments in the Circle, and further expansion in this financial year itself is on the anvil,” Mr AP Sriram, TATA DOCOMO’s Chief Operating Officer for Kolkata & West Bengal, said. “TATA DOCOMO will unveil a portfolio of Value-Added Services that will reinvent mobile telephony in India, with products and services like diet-sms, Free Voicemail, Timed SMS Service, Free Missed Call Alerts, Call-me Tunes, etc—all of them customized to liberate and refresh our subscribers,” he added.
In a video-address, Mr Toshinari Kunieda, Senior Vice-President and Managing Director, Global Business Division, NTT DOCOMO, said: “NTT DOCOMO has provided technical inputs to make the TATA DOCOMO GSM network world-class. Progressively, NTT DOCOMO shall bring to India the various products and services that we offer in Japan and many other countries—such as i-modeTM, Location-based Services (LBS) and mobile payment—and give TATA DOCOMO customers a flavor of tomorrow. TTSL and NTT DOCOMO are closely engaged in integrating technology, value-added services, products and applications through the mechanism of Business and Technology Cooperation Committee (BTCC). This should see TATA DOCOMO change the way India communicates.”
The company has earmarked an investment of $2 billion on its pan-India GSM network rollout.
Superior Technology and Network
From the day of the launch, the reach and coverage of the TATA DOCOMO network is greater in the Kolkata telecom district than that of any other operator at the launch stage. The TATA DOCOMO GSM mobile service will have extensive coverage across the Kolkata telecom district, offering users a superior and seamless telecom experience.
NTT DOCOMO has played a major role in the evolution of mobile telecommunications through its development of cutting-edge technologies and services. Over the years, technologists at NTT DOCOMO have defined industry benchmarks for 3G technology, as also products and services such as i-mode and a plethora of lifestyle-enhancing applications. Today, while most global telecom players are only beginning to talk of 4G technology and its possible applications, NTT DOCOMO has already recorded a downlink transmission rate of 250 Mbps over a high-speed wireless network in an outdoor test of an experimental system for Super 3G, also known as LTE, and is targeting to complete the commercial development by the end of 2009. This will hold TATA DOCOMO in good stead as it launches GSM services.
