The other day, I was sitting in the Pandit Nehru Bus Station waiting for my Hyderabad-bound VOLVO bus. I was just glancing around and my sight suddenly fell on a Public Call Office (PCO) – a telephone booth in common parlance. I was rather amazed to find just one “customer” trying to make a call from the STD phone at the booth. A few years ago, there used to be at least a dozen such customers at the PCO vying for their turn to reach out their loved ones on the telephone. I wondered if the PCOs were really able to transact any business what with cellular phones finding their way into the hands of virtually each and every individual these days.
When I started my career as a stringer in a Telugu daily way back in 1990, I had reported about the opening of a PCO in our locality. It was indeed a “momentous” event, for, in those days communication facilities were abysmal to say the least and to make a telephone call was a real daunting task for anyone. Personal telephones were few and far between and one normally used to have a PP (person-to-person) number in case someone had to be contacted in emergencies. So, the opening of the PCO in our locality was a real big news for me and it was reported in our newspaper the next day. The PCO operator was also happy to find the news about his venture and offered me two local calls “free” that day. Gradually, the number of such PCOs started swelling and the then Department of Telecommunications authorities used to proudly claim in each press conference about the number of PCOs opened, besides the individual connections given. In fact, the department it self opened a couple of telecom centres at prime locations in the city, including one in the PNBS. Of course, those centres have literally gone with the wind.
In 1995-96 the cellular phones – mobiles as they are popularly called – were launched with one player initially and two later. Way back in 1996, one of my friend’s friend landed a job as an executive with a cell service provider. Those days, both incoming and outgoing calls were charged @ Rs 16 a minute. My new friend offered me a “free” call from his official mobile to any number of my choice. Delightfully, I called my sister in Hyderabad and it too was a great occasion.
The real mobile revolution, however, began in 2002-03 when Reliance entered the market. Incoming calls were made free, a cell phone was offered for as low as Rs 500 and many such offerings followed. It was a real windfall for the customers who till then were at the mercy of the state-owned telecom. Rest, as they say, is history and now a mobile phone is as commonly found in one’s hand as a pen in the pocket. The call charges dropped to as low as 50 paise a minute and the cell phone has become so common that black-marketers began selling cinema tickets in black on their mobiles!
All these thoughts ran through my mind as my sight remained pegged on the PCO for a while before the VOLVO finally arrived on the platform. And, I made a move.