Tata Teleservices launches web browser handset

NEW DELHI: CDMA operator Tata Teleservices on Thursday introduced its first handset with web browsing facility, seeking to increase market share by catering to the growing number of mobile subscribers using internet on phone.

The model - Samsung Explore - has been priced at Rs 5,499 and the company would charge Rs 99 per month for the web service from pre-paid and post-paid subscribers.

The handset would have additional features like 0.3 megapixel camera, MP3, FM radio and expandable memory up to 1 GB.

The internet access speed on the CDMA platform would be 3-4 times faster than GPRS, company's Chief Operating Officer (Delhi and NCR) Debashis Sur told reporters here.

Tata Teleservices, which offer CDMA services under the Tata Indicom brand, currently has about 19 million subscribers.

The company would add 1,000 retail stores across India by the end of current fiscal, Sur said, but declined to disclose the investment in the mobile retail segment. Tata Teleservices presently has 3,500 outlets across the country.

The mobile web browser can also be downloaded on Brew- enabled handsets, he added.