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           | New Delhi, Feb 27 : State-run telecom operator Bharat   Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) Friday simultaneously launched its much-awaited third   generation (3G) mobile services in 12 cities.  The services have been rolled out on a commercial basis in   Patna, Agra, Ambala, Jalandhar, Jaipur, Dehradoon, Shimla, Lucknow, Ranchi, Durgapur,   Haldia and   in Jammu as a soft-launch, a company statement said. 
 The telecom giant also announced the 3G tariffs for both pre-paid and   post-paid services.
 
 Voice calls will be charged as low as 10 paise per   minute under the full value Rs.1,000 plan, while video calls have also been   priced economically, starting from Rs.1 under the unlimited Rs.2,500 plan and   Rs.2 for long-distance calls.
 
 The 3G services will bring high quality   voice services along with high-speed data and video services. The data speed is   expected to go up to 2 Mbps or higher.
 
 Applications like video   telephony, mobile broadband, mobile television and video-on-demand will be   offered to consumers with immediate effect, the company said.
 
 Services   like music downloads, video tones, instant messaging, online gaming and bill   payment will also be rolled out shortly.
 
 BSNL has invested Rs.27 billion   (Rs.2,700 crore) to roll out 3G services in the country. It has planned to cover   all district headquarters and important commercial towns in the phase-1 of its   ambitious 3G roll-out plan.
 (IANS) 
      
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