MTS Mumbai mobile services launched

MTS Mumbai mobile telephony services were launched today. With this, MTS becomes the latest cellular service provider in Bombay. The other wireless operators in Mumbai currently are MTNL, Tata Indicom, Tata DoCoMo, Reliance Communications, Airtel, Vodafone, Idea Cellular, Aircel and Loop Mobile. Uninor is expected to launch its mobile phone services in a short while.

MTS is a CDMA service provider, which will compete with other CDMA wireless operators like Reliance Communications, Tata Indicom and MTNL. We had written about the imminent launch of MTS in Mumbai earlier

MTS has announced its tariffs for the Mumbai circle. The MTS tariffs in Mumbai are quite cheap, compared to similar plans from rival mobile phone operators.

MTS Mumbai tariffs

You can get an MTS SIM card with a monthly rental of Rs 49. This is a lifetime plan. (Like other lifetime plans, the scheme is valid till 2028.). With the MTS lifetime plan, you will be paying a flat tariff of 1 paisa per second for all local calls and STD calls, to landline and mobile phones, irrespective of whether you are calling an MTS phone or a phone from another network. Local and national SMS charges for MTS from Mumbai will be 50 paise per SMS. International SMS will cost you Rs 5 per SMS.

You can also maximise benefits with an introductory offer. For Rs 149, you get a free talk time of 149 minutes. Also, for one paisa per 2 seconds, you get to call any local MTS and non-MTS number, as well as any MTS number in India. However, for non-MTS national (STD) numbers, the tariff will be 1 paisa per one second.

Messaging SMS charges will be: Local MTS-MTS: Free; Local MTS-other network: 20 paise; National MTS-MTS: Free; National MTS-other network: 20 paise; and all international SMSes: Rs 5.

While roaming with MTS, incoming calls will be free, outgoing local calls will be charged at Re 1 per 60 seconds, and outgoing STD calls will be charged at Rs 1.50 per 60 seconds.

While roaming, SMSs on MTS will be free, outgoing SMSs (local and national) will be charged Rs 1.50 per SMS, and outgoing international SMS will be charged Rs 5.

MTS prepaid SIM recharge

MTS has also announced prepaid refills for its customers. The refills (recharges) are available for Rs 50, Rs 100, Rs 200, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000. There are also mini-refills available for Rs 10 and Rs 20 from MTS in Mumbai.

MTS has also announced a slew of mobile handsets which can be purchased from MTS stores in Mumbai along with a subscription. Some of the mobile phones available from MTS include Spice, Samsung, Micromax, Huawei and ZTE.

MTS MBlaze Mumbai

Along with voice services, MTS has also introduced MTS MBlaze in Mumbai. MTS MBlaze is a high-speed wireless USB data modem, like Tata Indicom Photon+ and Reliance Netconnect Broadband+. The USB modem can be plugged into any laptop or desktop and used for wireless internet access. MTS MBlaze has a maximum download speed of 3.1 mbps and a maximum upload speed of 1.8 mbps. The MTS download speed is the same as that of Tata Indicom Photon+ and Reliance Netconnect.

Unlike Tata Indicom Photon and Reliance NetConnect Broadband+, MTS MBlaze offers some sites like Wikipedia, Makemytrip, Yahoo India, Cricinfo and Indiatimes Shopping for free. (Among these, Cricinfo and Indiatimes Shopping will be free only for a limited time).

MTS MBlaze has two data plans in Mumbai; the Premium plan and the Standard Plan. The more stylish USB modem costs Rs 3500, and comes with a slot for a microSD card. The Standard modem costs Rs 3000. The download speeds are the same for both MTS MBlaze US modems.

MTS MBlaze Mumbai charges

The standard data usage rate is Rs 2 per MB.
MTS MBlaze    150 MB    Rs 198
MTS MBlaze Half    500 MB    Rs 498
MTS MBlaze 1    1 GB    Rs 598
MTS Mblaze 3    3 GB    Rs 798
MTS MBlaze 5    5 GB    Rs 898
MTS MBlaze 10    10 GB    Rs 1200
MTS MBlaze 15     15 GB    Rs 1500
MTS MBlaze 30    30 GB    Rs 3000
MBlaze Night    10 GB    Rs 595
Night scheme is applicable from 10 PM to 7 AM. You can top up your data plan with refills of Rs 299, 699 and 999.

MTS also has a low-speed wireless data USB modem called MTS MBrowse. The company has not specified the download speed of this service on the website, but we guess it will be the 144 KBPS USB modem. It costs you Rs 1500. There is also a set of tariffs available for this service. For details, refer MTS Mumbai

MTS, the telecom brand of Sistema-Shyam Tele is already present in Delhi, Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Rajasthan. Sistema-Shyam Tele is a joint venture, majority-owned by Russia’s Sistema.