A quarter of a century after BSNL set up the first public call office in India, telecom czar Sam Pitroda on Thursday launched the “second telecom revolution” by calling the Ahmedabad BSNL officials through a Video Call Office (VCO), from New Delhi, saying millions of migrants in the country could benefit from this facility.
Video call charges from a VCO booth of BSNL will cost just Rs 3 for 45-seconds. At present, India has nearly 43 lakh PCOs, most of which are struggling for survival after mobile telephony surfaced. These PCOs could now be upgraded into VCOs.
Besides video-calling, the facility could also be used for value-added services like mobile/DTH recharging, matrimonial meetings, tele-education, astrology, business meetings, job interviews, ‘mandir darshan’, railway ticket booking and medical tele-consultation.
In the first phase, BSNL is opening VCO outlets in 12 States — Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir. In the next six months, the facility will be available in the southern and eastern areas as well. Video calls from a VCO can be made within India only.