Pune: The Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will launch Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd's (BSNL) mobile services in India on October 19, BSNL chairman and managing director Prithipal Singh said on October 12.

The entry of BSNL in mobile telephony may result in a further slash in air time rates, he said but declined to reveal the tariff plan.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a seminar on the "The Wireless Conclave" organised by the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management (SITM), Singh said that every year BSNL provides nearly six million fixed lines and its subscriber base was growing in leaps and bounds.

However, this year BSNL will be giving only three million fixed lines while two million will be wireless, he said, adding that they expect wireless services to grow faster.

Earlier, addressing the seminar, Singh said that BSNL was giving special thrust on "retraining and re-skilling" of the staff to protect customer base.

PTI