Bharti Teletech on Tuesday launched an SMS phone that enables sending and receiving short messaging service (SMS) from fixed-line phones.
The software interface for the phone will be provided by Bharti Telesoft. This application is already in use in Austria, Belgium, France and Germany.
"The solution would enable fixed-fixed, fixed-cellular and cellular-fixed SMSs. We do not see it becoming a retail product immediately. But with service providers upgrading their technological capabilities, it will become a retail product," Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Teletech, said at a conference in New Delhi.
He said Bharti was talking to various telecom service providers on its latest offering, and added that the company had already received an order from Sri Lanka for SMS solution and phones.
"Currently the order involves 2,500 phones," he said, adding that the company had also received an order from Touchtel, the basic service operations of Bharti Group, for the latest offering.
"Order from Bharti involves 5,000 SMS phones," he said, adding that the company would also bid for a Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (Punjab) tender involving 200,000 SMS phones.
Bharti said the SMS phones, which are priced at Rs 2,100, have been developed in China with its international partner Rockway Industries of Hong Kong.
