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"Tango," an innovative project undertaken by Celltel Lanka Limited in October 2000 to extend "home phone" services at low entry costs and rates similar to landline tariffs to the mass market, was completed last month with the launch of services in the deep south of Sri Lanka.

The company said Hambantota, Tissamaharama and Kataragama were provided with Tango services in February, extending the facility to major cities and towns in nine zones excluding the north and east.

Targeted at people who have aspired for a telephone facility but do not require extensive mobility, Tango provides a phone connection at less than a fourth of a landline connection, with no monthly rental, deposit-free International Direct Dialling (IDD), three minutes incoming free and peak time calling rates similar to those charged by fixed line operators.

"The concept is quite simple," Celltel's Commercial Director Aniljit Singh said. "We offer mobility within a specified geographic region that is more than adequate for the target customers. This enables us to service their telecommunications requirements at rates that are easily affordable, and the mobile capability within the required area is a definite advantage to the customer over a fixed line."

The Tango service, which has proved to be an effective method of extending telecommunications to middle and low income earners in semi-urban and rural areas, is now available in Kandy, Matale, Kurunegala, Chilaw, Puttalam, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kalutara, Hikkaduwa, Ratnapura, Avissawella, Galle, Matara, Hambantota, Tissamaharama and Kataragama.

An added attraction of the service is that it uses a pre-paid "Tango Card" similar to the CellCARD, enabling users to restrict their telephone expenditure to whatever they want it to be. "Tango has been most popular among people who have family members working overseas," Mr. Singh said.

"This is an important upwardly mobile segment of the market. Tango users now represent about 30 per cent of our Analogue subscriber base." 

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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