New Delhi, July 23: In a "special bonanza scheme" coinciding with forthcoming Independence Day and festival season, BSNL on Wednesday announced a free talktime of Rs 600 for its new post-paid users. New CellOne (post-paid) customers, would be given Rs 600 talktime free (Rs 100 per month for six months), BSNL chairman and managing director, Prithipal Singh told reporters.

BSNL's landline subscribers would get this new connection at Rs 200 and non-BSNL landline subscriber will get the cellular connection at Rs 1200, including registration of Rs 1000 which is refundable.

The scheme is valid on all existing plans including Plan 225, Plan 525 and standard package in the Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh (East), Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and West Bengal, amongst others. The scheme would be valid from Thursday to August 15.

For new Excel (pre-paid) customers in Gujarat and Haryana, the company has announced talktime equivalent to the value of SIM cards.

"BSNL is also talking to handset manufacturers for the facility of providing a handset along with a BSNL connection, like in the case of WLL," Singh said.

Singh said, "We will try to give a benefit to customer that if you have a BSNL cellular connection then you can have a phone at a specified price" but added that the customer would also have the option of bringing his own handset. He said BSNL had already started talking to instrument manufacturers.

"I can say that we are working on some schemes. What we are trying to work out is a tie up with instrument manufacturers like Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola and if we are able to come to a good solution, we will offer it," Singh said. Bureau Report