Tata, Future Group launch GSM mobile service

Leading telecom operator Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) and retail giant Future Group Saturday launched a mobile telephony service under the brand name T24. Under the first of its kind retailer-telcom partnership in India, T24 GSM mobile service rolled out its operations in the Andhra Pradesh circle and announced plans to launch operations in the rest of the country in the next two months. “The service offers innovative and first of its kind value proposition to telecom customers in the country – shop more, talk more and talk more and shop more,” said TTSL MD Anil Sardana while launching the service along with Future Group CEO Kishore Biyani. “Customers will get shopping benefits for talking, and talk time benefits each time they shop,” said Biyani. The T24 tariff plans will reflect the competitive per-second rates being offered for pre-paid customers on TTSL’s GSM network. In addition, customers will be rewarded with free talk time for every purchase above Rs.500 made at Future Group shopping outlets The service will be rolled out across the country in the next couple of months through Future Group’s retail networks in over 75 cities and 65 rural destinations. Customers visiting Future Group retail chains like Pantaloons, Big Bazar, Central, Brand Factory, EZone, Home Town and Aadhar will be offered this exclusive mobile connection and tariff plan. “We had the first post-paid mobile service in 1995 and the first pre-paid in 1998. This is India’s first ‘unpaid’ mobile service,” said Tata’s Sardana. “This is the country’s first mobile connection that makes talking virtually free,” said Biyani. He said the Future Group had dreams of offering electricity and petrol free on similar lines. “We have plans of entering power generation in five to six years. Our dreams about petrol will take a little longer,” he said without elaborating. Future Group attracts 250 million footfalls and 90 to 100 million transactions per annum. Tata Teleservices had 70 million subscribes in the country as of May 31, 2010. It subscriber base in Andhra Pradesh crossed six million this month.