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MTNL sets goal to become total telecom company

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited has said that it would soon emerge as a one-stop company for all telecommunications needs with world-class quality standards.

''We are aware of the growing competition in basic and cellular services for which technological upgradation is a must,'' said MTNL Chairman and Managing Director S Rajagopalan.

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He said the company's investment in information technology is inadequate at present.

''Our front office customer care service suffers due to this and a major programme is underway to make substantial investments in this area. Once staffers are empowered with information and decision-making procedures, the service will improve.''

Rajagopalan was addressing an interactive session with industry leaders organised in New Delhi by the Confederation of Indian Industry and Telstra India.

He said MTNL is striving to instil accountability among its employees to better the management of the public-sector company that operates basic telecom services in Delhi and Bombay.

It is working towards providing revolutionary communication solutions, especially for the business community.

In the national capital, MTNL has 1.8 million subscribers with phones available on demand. Besides Internet and paging services, it also provides intelligent services like free phone service, virtual productive network, virtual card calling, premium card calling, account card calling and televoting.

Meanwhile, MTNL Chief General Manager C V Rajan said fast changing technology would soon change the company's way of functioning.

''When customers have a choice, they will exercise it. We have no choice but to employ efficient management systems backed by world-class IT solutions.''

He said competition has spurred MTNL to define its strategies, corporate goals and focus on customer care.

Rajan said 95 per cent of MTNL's customers were connected to electronic digital exchanges. In the next one year, all of them will be.

However, he added that response to value added services so far is not encouraging.

Rajan said 12 more telephone exchanges are required in New Delhi but the power to manage them is not available. He said government organisations and people must cooperate with MTNL to provide better utility services across the city.

In his opening remarks, Vijai Kapur, chairman of the CII national committee on communications, said competition is a must for better telecom services. Telephone on demand is not a reality, there is no graded system for customer care and tariffs need to be rationalised, he added.

UNI

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