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MR A.K. ARORA, Executive Director, MTNL, flanked by Mr K. C. Gupta, Executive Director (Operations), MTNL (right), and Dr Inderpal Singh Mumick, Founder and CEO, Kirusa, at the launch of `Convergent' voice SMS service in the Capital on Tuesday. — Ramesh Sharma

New Delhi May 22 There is no need to punch in your text messages on your phone anymore. State-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd has launched a new service that allows its mobile and fixed line telephone subscribers in Delhi and Mumbai to send voice based messages. The Convergent Voice SMS Service is based upon the patented `Voice SMS' technology from Kirusa, a mobile value-added services provider based in New Jersey, US.

The voice SMS application allows an MTNL fixed or mobile subscriber to send a voice message without having the phone to ring. The recipient is not disturbed, and can pick up the message at his leisure. MTNL fixed line and mobile subscribers will have to pay Re 1 per minute to send, forward or reply to a voice SMS message. They will be able to listen to a message free of charge for the first time, and will have to pay Re 1 per minute for listening to the message again.

To send a voice SMS message, a user dials 1* followed by the recipient's phone number, and speaks a short message, in the language of his choice. If the recipient is a mobile user, he gets an SMS message, and can dial 1*0* to retrieve new voice SMS messages, and 1*1* to retrieve old voice SMS messages. If the recipient is a fixed line user, he receives a call, and the message is spoken to him. The fixed line user can also retrieve voice SMS messages at any time by dialing 1*0* to retrieve new voice SMS messages, or dialing 1*1* to retrieve old voice SMS messages from his fixed line phone. The recipient can also reply, forward, save, or delete the voice SMS message.

To support the launch, Kirusa has deployed and integrated the Kirusa Voice SMS platform into MTNL's fixed line and mobile networks. This is a first ever deployment of Voice SMS across the world by a convergent carrier, wherein fixed line and mobile subscribers have an option of sending voice SMS messages to other fixed line or mobile subscribers.

More Stories on : Telecommunications | New Products & Services | Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd

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