Welcome 2K, Mobiles for Rs.2000.

Imagine a no frills cell phone with a long battery life -- over eight and a half hours of talk time, nearly three times more than most other handsets. Also support for multi-language, downloadable ringtones, logos etc.

Moreover this GSM handset costs a meagre Rs.2000/-. This phone is made by Motorola, and will be launched in India in April. Three entry level models - C 115, 116 and 117, the GSMA expects the US telecom company to hawk 2 million to 3 million sets in India in the first six months of the launch.

Virtually now every indian can have a cell in his pockets. Although there are cell phones available less than this, Sagem with Orange connection @ Rs.1799(apprx), but the downside in these type of schemes is that you have to switch over a new operator or buy a new SIM.

Motorola's phone will be the first of several inexpensive phones that are expected to hit India this year and make phones affordable to the masses. Mobile phone makers expect that their initiative will expand the Indian market considerably and take mobile telephony to rural India.

Motorola is also planning to introduce phones as low as Rs.900 to Rs.1200.

While Motorola may be the first enterant in the low cost segment in the Indian market, the Finese mobile phone giant, Nokia is also gearing to cut the costs. Nokias
current lowest mobile is priced at Rs.2900/-, to make mobiles more cheap it has tied up with Texas instruments to manufacture a chipset that will incorporate the major necessities of a cellphone.

India being the second most populated country, many biggies and new cell phone companies are eyeing India as a major market for low cost handsets.

A day will come when there would be cellphones with each individual and our good old fixed line would be a dinosaur. (wake up MTNL)