Feb. 15: Altogether 7,700 of 13,719 applicants are now the first batch of BSNL’s CellOne subscribers. The subscriptions were decided today at the Cotton College through draw of lots amid excitement and suspense.

The lottery was held at Sudmerson Hall of Cotton College, in the presence of A deputy commissioner, Kamrup, metropolitan, A.K. Absar Hazarika, Cotton College principal Udayaditya Bharali and BSNL officers. “We are satisfied with the lottery system, as it is free and fair,” said one of the customers who failed to make the cut.

The names were displayed through the LCD projector installed in the hall. Seven draws were held with each one containing a thousand names.

The draw was inaugurated by Hazarika. A crowd of about 4,000 had arrived at the hall to try their luck.

The BSNL authorities said the exact date of commencing the service has not been fixed but they would start it within this month.

The BSNL will issue a notification about the various aspects of CellOne within a couple of days. The waiting list customers could avail of their connection after March 15.

Hazarika said people want quality service, whether the service providers are in the public and private sector. With BSNL’S entry, the number of mobile service providers has gone up to two. Till now, only Reliance offered mobile services in the Northeast.

BSNL has decided to launch 1,45,000 connections in Assam from June. “The application forms will be made available to customers from April,” said a BSNL official. Along with the city (Kamrup telecom district), BSNL will also launch its CellOne service in 22 other telecom districts across the state. Following instructions from the ministry of telecommunications, only post-paid service will be provided by BSNL, he said.

Though BSNL had plans of launching CellOne within January, the move was delayed due to the recent anti-Bihari violence in the state.

A BSNL official said, “The Swedish suppliers of the equipment refused to send the items till the situation turned normal. This led to a delay of over a month in setting up the infrastructure.”

Reliance Telecom is the sole mobile service provider in the city at present, with a subscriber base of around 42,000.

A source in the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited Employees’ Union (northeastern circle) said the urgency of the situation demanded the installation of the service before the determined period.