Reliance adds to WLL offerings
JAMES MATHEW & PRASENJIT BHATTACHARYA
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2002 02:48:18 AM ]
NEW DELHI: Reliance Infocomm is adding to its limited mobility offerings by the day. The company has proposed to bring in yet another tariff package of Rs 24,000 for three years, which would, besides the limited number of free STD calls and unlimited free local calls, include a number of free international long distance (ILD) calls.
As with its proposed NLD service, even in the case of ILD service, Reliance Infocomm would be forging a relationship between its ILD services due to be launched in February and its WLL services, which would allow the ILD service to offer volume discounts to users of its WLL service.
The company’s move on the modified version of its now famous ‘one- time payment package’ comes even as its proposed Rs 14,500 for three-year free service package is yet to get the green signal from TRAI. Its WLL tariff plans had got into trouble with TRAI when it tried to bundle free NLD calls with its WLL service and charge a nominal tariff for incoming calls.
It is also now clear that Reliance webstores will be a key element in the Reliance Infocomm strategy to sell its WLL services and handsets, apart from other telecom offerings of the group. The company is learnt to be planning around 700 webstores in 44 locations across the country. The Chennai-based coffee chain Kwiky’s will have a store-in-store concept for the Reliance webstores, and will sell coffee and snacks in these stores. Reliance is also talking to other retail majors for tie-ups with Reliance webstores.
Reliance has for the past one month been on a major recruitment drive and plans to add 1,000 people to Reliance Infocomm and Reliance Webstore operations by December 28, when the WLL services of the company will be launched. It is learnt that Reliance has involved the HR consultancy Ma Foi for its recruitment drive and this is the biggest recruitment project for the MNC HR consultancy ever.
While some of the Reliance webstores will be owned by Reliance, most of them will be franchisee operations. Even in the case of recruitment, a number of the employees would be on the rolls of franchisees. As is already known, Reliance Infocomm’s WLL services will be marketed under the brand name of Reliance India Mobile.
Meanwhile, the Tatas are readying for a glitzy launch of their WLL services in Delhi on Thursday. Apart from group chairman Ratan Tata, politicians like IT and telecom minister Pramod Mahajan and Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit will be attending the launch of Tata Teleservices WLL brand Indicom in the Capital. Reliance WLL services will be launched on December 28 — the birthday of the group’s late chairman Dhirubhai Ambani. Reliance Infocomm plans to launch its WLL services in 104 locations across the country.
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