BSNL, Novartium tie up to grow broadband base

Aims for 2-lakh subscribers by the end of this financial year

Telecom services provider BSNL has tied up with Novatium Solutions, a company offering affordable computing facilities, in order to grow its broadband subscriber base in the Calcutta Telephones circle.

According to S Chakravarti, CGM, BSNL – Calcutta Circle, “We intend to grow our broadband base, especially in the rural areas. Affordability is  therefore crucial.”

The service has already been launched in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bangalore, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Haryana, Lucknow and in North East Circle.

The services of Nova netPC is expected to be soon rolled out Pan India, said Alok Singh, CEO, Novatium Solutions.

“We are looking at attaining a subscriber base of 2 lakh by the end of the financial year. We currently have close to 9,000 subscribers,” Singh said. The vision of Novatium, Singh added, is to provide simple and affordable computing for the next billion.

The Nova netPC can be used for both internet access and computing applications. It supports Linux, Windows and Mac Operating systems. Nova netPC’s server driven delivery feature makes it an ‘obsolescence-proof PC’, as all the updates are carried out centrally through the server.

Nova netPC provides users the option to store data files either internally or externally or at the server end (remote storage option).  Novatium provides 160GB hard disk space for the user to load OS, store applications and software apart from user data files, at a cost of Rs 2500, plus taxes.

Users can also save data files in either USB storage devices like pen drive or on External Hard Disk.

Data files can also be saved in the server for an additional charge. While 10 GB would cost Rs 50 per month, a 50 GB would cost Rs 150 per month, plus taxes.

‘All lines to be restored soon’

Less than 20 per cent of the 64,500 landline and 1,600 leased line connections affected by the July 7 blaze at the Hungerford Street address have been restored, as BSNL missed two repair deadlines. According to S Chakravarty, CGM of BSNL- Calcutta Circle, “Work is on and soon all lines will be restored.”After the July 7 fire, some banks in the heart of the city are still not being able to promise encashment of cheques on time, while several restaurants have put up signs saying that they cannot accept credit cards, and several retail outlets are accepting payments only in cash. The affected areas include AJC Bose Road, Park Street, Jawaharlal Ner Road, Bondel Road, Picnic Garden and E M Bypass. According to official sources in BSNL, the faulty lines are caused by “limited connectivity” in the affected areas.