New Delhi, Mar 16: Delhiites virtually surrendered their landlines; the cellular base touched an all-time high even as over a million customers booked for WLL (Wireless on Local Loop) connection in last one month. Does all this mean beginning of the end of fixed line telephony and the advent of a new era of mobile wireless services?

Well, most experts do not think so and say that in a country like India, where the teledensity is as low as four per hundred, there is enough scope for all to co-exist. But for this, all the operators will have to stop fighting and it is for the government to evolve a new regime where there is room for everyone.

"There has been some initial response to WLL services but this is just 'the initial customer churn' which will pass away soon," says S D Saxena, director, finance, Bharat Sanchar Finance Ltd.

"WLL does offer stiff competition to fixed line telephony and especially in the present case when the offer is very catchy - the sort of product that is being offered, anyone would like to go for it," says Saxena noting, however, "people are going to continue with us."

"BSNL carried out a consumer survey recently and found that as far as 'reliability factor was concerned, people preferred us compared to any other operator... It is the poor man's hope," says Saxena.
Bureau Report