BSNL Unveils Low Cost "Bharat Phone"
BSNL Unveils Low Cost “Bharat Phone”
State organisation BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) has launched a more affordable version of its smart phone. This smart phone has e-governance applications for those who want the facilities at a more reasonable cost. Known as the “Bharat Phone” this smart phone features a 3 inch large screen with a provision for dual SIM card. It has been priced at around Rs. 1,099 for those who value both affordability and technology.
This low-cost mobile device is targeted for e-governance applications and providing internet access to the common man, according to BSNL chairman R. K. Upadhyay. The smart phone has been designed and developed by a company known as Pantel Technologies Ltd. This company is a leader in the low-cost tablet PC market. The smart phone's wide screen and proprietary Java operating system are perfect for other user applications including mobile banking, tele-health care delivery as well as streaming data delivery.
The Bharat Phone is pre-bundled with a voice plan so that it can give the common man a chance to access internet technologies at a reasonable price. This will improve connectivity and increase access to technology. According to a statement by the MD of Pantel Technologies Ltd, V. Singh, this smart phone offers the facilities for browsing the web and accessing email. Users can also check and update FB status using the technology available on this phone.
The smart phone is ideal for downloading music and videos along with Java games. Apart from dual SIM card, the phone also has other attractive features such as 1.3 mega pixel rear camera. It also has Bluetooth for rapid file sharing and a lithium-ion battery. The battery has an 8 hour charge and a 15 days standby period. It also has 64 MB RAM (Random Access Memory) and around 64MB of internal storage. Apart from this, the phone also has an SMS scheduler, multimedia gaming and a mobile tracker, according to Singh.
BSNL also offers customers with 1,200 minutes of free talk time through the network if they purchase this handset. The handset will be available from the 15th of June, according to media reports. E-governance applications are now within the reach of common man. Other key features of this smart phone also include mobile tracer, stereo FM and auto voice call recording.
Pantel Technologies have excelled in the field of low cost tablets and they have notched yet another victory for affordable technologies through this method. But a revolution is also needed for the public sector companies to realise their true potential. Following independence, Singapore had initiated economic growth by acquiring stakes in companies including start-ups. Following this, it incorporated a holding company to manage the assets while it focused on policy making. The portfolio value of Temasek is now S$215 billion. It has invested S$159 billion and divested S$100 billion in the past 10 years. Strategic sectors where the PSUs can diversify must be suggested. One such case is the field of green and low cost technologies. This is a profitable area given the direction the world is taking. PSUs would benefit from initiatives such as “Bharat Phone” which aim to create positive change through technologies.
