Fifteen-fold increase in Hutch GPRS subscribers

Hutch has seen a surge in the number of general packet radio service (GPRS)-compatible handset users in the past one year. Hutch officials said today that, when GPRS supported services were introduced in February 2003, there were around 4,500 customers with GPRS handsets in Gujarat. This has increased to well over 65,000 in a year.

Hutch officials said this trend is likely to continue. "We have thus not just provided cutting edge technology, but have also ensured that value is added in such a way that it is most beneficial to customers," said Sanjoy Mukerji, chief executive officer of Hutch Gujarat.

The revenue from sale of GPRS handsets for Asia Pacific region, except Japan, is expected to cross $20 billion by 2006. Multi Media Messaging (MMS) usage, which was two per cent of the total usage in the region in 2002, is expected to be ten per cent by 2006, Hutch officials said here.

MMS has grown rapidly with the penetration of GPRS handsets and services. Today, there are 1,50,000 Hutch GPRS users in the country, up 15 times from 10,000 in February last year.

MMS usage on the Hutch network has increased a phenomenal 20 times in a single year, from an average of 3,000 MMS exchanged a day in February last year to 60,000 MMS a day today. . Hutch operates in ten circles of the country.

The general packet radio service (GPRS) is a non-voice value added service that allows information to be sent and received across a mobile telephone network.

It facilitates several new applications that have not previously been available over GSM networks due to the limitations in speed of circuit switched data and message length of short message service (160 characters).

However, users specifically need a mobile phone that supports GPRS and a subscription to a network that supports GPRS.