Prepaid connections expelled in JK

‘Move to disempower lower paying category’

BILAL HUSSAIN

SRINAGAR, Oct 30 [2009]: With the union home ministry P Chidambaram on Friday decided to ban prepaid connection in Kashmir due to security reasons, the move is expected to hit most to economically weaker sections of Jammu and Kashmir experts here believe.
The ministry of home affairs has decided that no prepaid mobile connections would be issued and existing prepaid SIM cards would not be renewed in J&K after Nov 1, 2009, an official said. The ministry has asked the Department of Telecommunications to take appropriate action to implement the decision.
The decision is not going to impact the over all profitability of the telecom operators functional here but the subscriber base is surely going to get affect by the move, an official of a telecom operator said. “In particular the poorer people who can’t pay regular sums as is the case with the postpaid connection would be worst hits by the decision,” Nisar Ahmad Wani, telecom expert said.
DGM administration, BSNL J&K, M G Mufti, told KT that there is no need to panic. “All one need to do is to go for recharge so as to but time to convert the same number to postpaid connection.”
According to Mufti no prepaid connection and no recharge would be available after No 1, 2009. “Since we have forms with us all we need is simple application to transfer the pre paid to post paid plan,” he added. “Working prepaid with validity would not be barred.”
Many subscribers told KT that the decision on banning the prepaid connections is uncalled for. “They should have given us time to go for postpaid connection,” said a subscriber. Social experts here believe that the move would disempower lower paying category in the state.
The BSNL, a public sector telecommunication company, currently has a customer base of over twelve lakh subscribers, Bharti Airtel, has got the highest customer base of over 19 lakh in the state, Dishnet Wireless has eleven lakh subscribers in the state and the new entrant in the state, Vodafone Essar has a customer base of over a lakh. There are over 38 lakh prepaid mobile phone subscribers in the state.
The decision would have an impact on over all market size of the mobile service providers, is what authorized distributors believe. "Most of the customers come to us for pre paid connections but now we would not be unable to provide them one," a local dealer said who wished not to be named.
A prepaid SIM subscriber, Imran Wani said, "The decision is going to affect the poorer section of the society as most of them posses prepaid SIM cards," adding, "The prepaid scheme is meant mainly for below poverty line sections."
The decision, would hamper the growth of the mobile subscriber in remote rural areas, Imran said.
“Home minister sighting security reasons for banning the prepaid connections in the valley but in the current era militants use high-tech communication gadgets so it hardly would matter for them,” a subscriber hailing from Sopore, Manzoor Ahangar said.
Another mobile subscriber said, “The existing prepaid connections should not be barred but further issuance of prepaid connections should be banned.”
According to a communication expert, Audil, the cellular growth rate of about 4 per cent is going to slow down to 2 per cent. “Most of the cellular connections in the valley are pre paid. By banning pre paid the growth rate of mobile connections would go down considerably,” he added.
To mention the telecom companies both public and private sector make enormous revenue of over Rs 960 crores annually in Jammu and Kashmir, according to a report.
Meanwhile, PDP president Mehbooba Mufti, while condemning the decision of ban on pro-paid mobile service in the State, expressed surprise that on the one hand government has been claiming that situation has improved in the state while on the other hand residents of this state have been denied of facilities like mobile services in the name of security threats.
Mehbooba today sought intervention of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to restore mobile service in the state.
Earlier, home minister had, during his visit to the state, made a statement that the government is mulling such a move as all efforts to persuade people to switch over to postpaid connections were not succeeding.
Currently, Indian citizens of other states who have a prepaid connection are also not allowed roaming facilities while visiting J&K and the seven North Eastern states.