MTNL users to get option of migrating to 3G by June

State-run MTNL has decided to give its existing 4.6 million mobile users the option of migrating to high-speed 3G services in a bid to have a head-start over the private players which have won licences for the same.

“We have 4.6 million mobile subscribers (2G) in Delhi and Mumbai, and we have 400,000 3G users. We want to enable the users to migrate to 3G services and expect most of them to do so. By the end of June, we will be offering them the option to use 3G services,” MTNL Chairman and Managing Director Kuldip Singh said.

The most coveted circles of Delhi and Mumbai, where MTNL operates, went to the top three telecom operators — Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar and Reliance Communications — in the recently concluded 3G spectrum auction.

Once these players start offering 3G services, there is bound to be cut-throat competition. The PSU, in the interim period, wants to attract as many subscribers before the competitors strike.