In keeping with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's promise to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in his Independence Day speech, mobile telephony was launched in the state on Sunday.

Booking for connections would start from Monday, Chief General Manager of service provider Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited's Jammu and Kashmir circle, Arun Kumar, told reporters in Srinagar.

The registrations for the service will start from August 19 and it will continue till August 26, Kumar said adding that forms will be available at five customer service centres in Jammu and one in Srinagar.

Mobile services will be available in fourteen major townships of Jammu and Kashmir, including Katra and Vaishnodevi, and on the Jammu-Srinagar and Jammu-Pathankote national highways, he said.

2600 connections each will be made available in Udhampur and Anantnag districts, 1000 each in Kathua, Pulwama, Baramulla, Badgam, Doda, Rajouri, Poonch, Leh, Kargil and Kupwara districts, he said.