The already crowded Indian mobile services sector is all set to witness entry of another new player, S Tel in which Bahrain Telecommunications or Batelco has stake. S Tel was formerly known as Sterling Infotech Group.

The new entrant will launch its services this week beginning with Himachal Pradesh to be followed by other circles such as Orissa, Bihar & Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Assam and North East.

On the tariff front, S Tel will offer one paisa per second plan and 50 paise per minute plan. The rates will be applicable to local as well as STD calls.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. P. Swaminathan, Director, S Tel and President, Siva Group, said, “The goal of Siva Group is to make advanced technologies work for the benefit of the common man. We are committed to creating an efficient business model aimed at community welfare. Mobile telephony is without doubt the most explosive development in the Indian infrastructure history. With the number of mobile users expected to double by 2015, we are now entering another exciting phase in telecom growth. The six circles that S Tel is entering in, is where the next wave of growth lies. We are excited to be playing our part in the growth of this critical sector contributing to India’s economic growth and competitiveness.”

Mr. Shamik Das, Chief Executive Officer of S Tel said, “The six growth circles with a population of 226 million people provide us an opportunity to deliver a tailored, relevant value proposition. Launch of S Tel’s services will enhance mobile penetration in these circles and rapidly bring benefits of technology and communication networks to people in these regions.

S Tel will not only set a conventional distribution network for its services but will also make use of Non Traditional channels (NTCs) such as insurance agencies, cable operators, courier services & Ground Panchayats to make its products available.

“Our brand values of ‘uncomplicating and demystifying’ telecom to the Indian consumer will resonate in everything we do – be it our tariffs, VAS, customer care or distribution. Our value proposition is an honest brand that speaks the language of the local people, product and service offering that is simple & transparent, customer care that is sensitive and swift, a network that is congestion free, reliable, provides superior voice clarity and a distribution network that allows product accessibility at consumer’s doorstep. Through a combination of these and our best-in-class partnerships, we intend to positively impact the lives of people in these circle,” he added.

It has also lined up popular VAS content covering entertainment as well as knowledge-based content.

S Tel says it will have a two stage process of receiving consumer consent before activating VAS in an effort to be transparent.

Peter Kaliaropoulos, CEO, Batelco stated, “India being the world’s fastest growing mobile market and a huge untapped population offers tremendous opportunities for growth.”