Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL)?s much-hyped broadband service, DataOne, has failed to take off with a bang in the city, forcing the authorities to press the panic button.

Calcutta Telephones (CalTel) has managed to sell only 12,000 connections since January, when DataOne was launched. A target of 100,000 connections by the year-end had been set earlier.

Worried over the poor show, the BSNL headquarters in Delhi has sought a weekly status report from CalTel, sources said. ?In a recent directive, the BSNL head office has sought a detailed report on the number of new subscribers, growth rate and other details. The reports have to be sent every Friday,? a senior CalTel official said on Saturday.

?The authorities are raising questions on why proper analysis is not being made on ways to sell more connections,? he added.

Sources said the reducing number of fixed phonelines is affecting the DataOne subscription. With an increase in mobile users, CalTel has suffered a massive loss in fixed phone connections.

In the past year, CalTel has lost nearly 150,000 subscribers. Sources said this figure was increasing every day. While some surrendered their connections, others were disconnected due to non-payment of dues.

On the contrary, CellOne, CalTel?s mobile phone connection, is surging ahead. The mobile phone subscribers have gone up to 350,000 compared to 1,350,000 fixed-phone customers. Sources said other private operators, mainly those providing fixed wireless services, were eating into BSNL?s landline customer base.

?Since broadband network connection is dependent on fixed phonelines, the receding subscriber count (of landline) is probably a factor stymying the growth of DataOne,? a CalTel official admitted.

?Subscribers surrendering their landline connections is a global trend. However, we are pinning our hopes on the broadband service to stage a major turnaround,? he added. The official asserted that CalTel was presently equipped to provide 45,000 DataOne connections in and around the city.

DataOne was launched countrywide on January 14. With a bandwidth ranging from 256 kilobits per second to eight megabits per second, a good response was expected.

The equipment for broadband connectivity was installed at all the main remote line units. Later, the small exchanges, too, were covered. Officials said though only Internet service is being initially provided through broadband, video and audio on demand will be available later.

Initially, CalTel expected a spurt in broadband demand as in the other Metros. However, six months into the launch, the response was far below expectations.

CalTel was mainly targeting the domestic customers. ?Business houses have other options, like leased line access, which are more expensive,? an official explained.

Moreover, complaints have already started pouring in about the speed of DataOne and its customer services. The call centre allegedly does not function properly.