(From left) Texas Instruments chairman Thomas J. Engibous, telecom secretary J.S. Sharma and Bharti joint MD Rajan Mittal in New Delhi on Monday. Picture by Ramakant Kushwaha

New Delhi, Aug. 8: The countdown to the March mobile makeover has begun. And, it?s a call few can afford to miss. At least not, when that snazzy, but seemingly costly handset, could come for a song ? at a measly Rs 1,000.

BPL Telecom promises to pierce that price-barrier by March in a launch that will change the telecom industry as we have known it. In doing so, it will put the ubiquitous cellphone within the reach of Indians now priced out of the loop.

Making that possible is the new single-chip (silicon) cellphone technology developed by the research and development arm of Texas Instruments in India. A single chip (see picture) can help manufacture 2,370 mobiles.

Existing sets require multiple chips but the digital radio frequency processor technology that powers Texas Instrument?s single-chip cell integrates much of the electronics in a handset in a way that reduces the cost, power, board area and silicon space by up to 30 per cent.

The technology-induced affordability that Texas Instruments? single-chip offers has raised the hopes of BPL and Quasar ? the makers of the Primus brand of handsets ? in their quest to tap India?s low-cost mobile market.

?The single chip unveiled today will help bring down the cost of mobile phones, which will be available for only $20-25. We will work towards it and we hope to get there by March,? BPL Telecom director Satish Nambiar said.

He said the Rs 1000 handset will have a forerunner in a Bluetooth-laced mobile, to be launched next month for Rs 2,500.

BPL?s low-cost mobiles will use the base design of these phones as a platform to develop a variety of handsets targeted at different market segments. These will range from ultra low-cost sets to those that have rich data-centric features. These could also have audio amplifiers, voltage regulators and standard logic/liner components.

Unveiling the single-chip solution in the presence of DoT secretary J. S Sarma, Texas Instruments chairman Tom Engibous said: ?We have developed the technology so that we can narrow the digital divide. Our customers (cellular firms) can use it to make ultra-low cost handsets affordable in the largely untapped consumer markets of India, China, South America and Eastern Europe.?