Wednesday, March 16 2005 14:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Bharati Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) mobile phones will be available on demand in the next six months, Government said in Lok Sabha today (Mar 16, 2005).

"Twelve million lines will be provided by BSNL from May this year. In the next six months, BSNL phones will be available on demand," Communications and IT Minister Dayanidhi Maran said during Question Hour.

He said that in the next three years, 160 million lines would be made available by the BSNL and added the number of mobile phone subscribers in the country was 88,46,477 as in the end of February.

To a question, Maran said that the demand for landlines in urban areas was on the decline as more consumers were opting for mobiles.

That is why BSNL was providing broadband services, which provided both landline phones as well as Internet, he said.

Replying to another question, Maran said that the rental of telephones in rural areas was lower and free calls higher than in urban areas.

Government and BSNL were taking several measures to improve telephone services in rural areas, he said.