BSNL is gearing up to match its private competitors in service offerings to its subscribers. It is now in advanced stage of talks with Research in Motion (RIM) to introduce BlackBerry services. These services are likely to be introduced by year-end.

Further to this, BSNL is also in talks with Apple to introduce iPhone 3G to its subscribers. The main differentiator when compared to offerings from Vodafone and Airtel, the current partners for iPhone 3G, will be that BSNL will actually offer 3G services on the phone. This may give it an edge as the private operators are currently offering only 2G services on iPhone 3G.