Ranchi, March 7: BSNL subscribers can now avail of many facilities on their landline, but at the price of new numbers.

The Ranchi main telephone exchange has upgraded its 20-year-old technology and switched over to the Siemens system.

Now, subscribers can not only get call records but also make STD and ISD calls using a single card. The rate of dialling a number will also increase considerably.

“Usually, the life of the E10B system, that was in use, is around 10 years. But the Ranchi main telephone exchange used it for a longer time. It has outlived its term,” said S.S. Bara, the acting general manager at the Ranchi telephone circle.

He said that the new system has already been put in place in other telephone exchanges around the city.

However, the upgradation of technology at the Ranchi main telephone exchange, which covers important areas like Upper Bazaar, Main Road, Tharpakna, Hindpiri and Purulia Road, among others, has come at a price.

The upgradation has necessitated the change of telephone numbers of subscribers in the area.

For the past three days, subscribers are confused, as they had no intimation of the change in telephone numbers.

In many cases, several lines have gone defunct, as the new numbers are yet to be activated.

“I came to know about my new number when I had called a relative on his cell. He told me my number had changed!” said Aseem Sarkar, a resident of Tharpakna.

Bara said only that the first three digits of the telephone numbers have changed.

Other telephone exchanges including Morabadi, Namkum, Tupudana, Hinoo, Kanke, Dhurwa have already been converted into the new system.

Meanwhile, the Ranchi telephone circle plans to allow television viewing from personal computers through broadband from April.

Officials said they are in the process of finalising agreements with some tele- vision channels including news channels such as Aaj Tak, CNBC, CNN IBN and NDTV.

“We are having talks with a few news and entertainment channels. The facility would be introduced in the Ranchi telephone circle first and then to other areas,” said Ashok Kumar Roy, the deputy general manager of the city telephone circle.