Speaking to The Financial Express Ravi Ranjan, engineer, network control group of Satyam Infoway said: "We will be launching our services in Patna and hope to cross the 1,500 mark in the next three months. It will be a high bandwith server and nearly 150 phone lines for users so that the speed of the Net will be much faster than of those in our trade".

VSNL has at least 1,500 Internet users in Patna.In its unique offer, Satyam will provide internet connection on phone and no forms have to be filled. At about Rs 3,500 the company will allow its users to surf the Net "unlimited" for a period of one year. However, this will not have a roaming facility.

With no roaming facility in this package the company plans to restrain cybercafe users from misusing the offer. VSNL charges nearly Rs 2,500 for 100 hours or for a period of one year (whichever expires first) in Patna.

The company also proposes to offer 90 hours plus free additional 90 hours at the rate of Rs 2,500 for a period of ten months (whichever is earlier) and will announce that if a customer uses the Net after 10 pm the Internet hours will be halved. The package will have a roaming facility. All the packages of Satyam will contain a software CD package of Rs 4,000 each, which will be supplied to all its customers free of charge.

"I am fed up with the bureaucratic attitude of VSNL. The frequent dropping of lines, wastage of telephone calls, frozen post-dialup screen and slow server are the major thorns in our flesh and it is frustrating to work on VSNL. I hope with the end of monopoly VSNL should understand that the customer pays and that it must have good and hassle free services. No one is prepared to listen to our complaint," said Kiran Kumar, an avid Net surfer in a popular cybercafe in Patna.

He adds: "Who will pay for my telephone bills if the server of VSNL is not good? I pay for the fault of VSNL. There are too many discrepancies in the relationship of VSNL and the Department of Telecom. A customer needs services for which he has paid. I cannot keep running from one office to other to get proper connection. The days of babugiri (red-tapism) are over."Claimed Ravi Ranjan -"To stay in the race, we must treat our customers as king. We have been serving the people in Jamshedpur.

The clients of VSNL have reduced from 600 to 300 now and our customer base is expanding everyday." He added that all services to the customers will be provided on making a phone call only and that too within 15-30 minutes. "We also plan to help corporate houses for data transfers at a nominal fee," added Ranjan.