TATA DOCOMO LAUNCHES PAY-PER-CHARACTER DIET-SMS

Tata Docomo, the GSM brand of Tata Teleservices, launched a short messaging service (SMS), called Diet-SMS, which enables customers to pay on a per-character basis.

"The cost of any Diet-SMS will be only one paise per character used, thereby providing complete value to customers," Tata Docomo said in a statement.

The company, frontrunner in the pay-per-use business model in the mobile telephony segment, will not charge for space between words.

Tata Docomo has launched services in eight telecom circles and a countrywide rollout is expected to be completed this year.

"In all of the eight circles where we have launched our GSM services, we made the promise of introducing path-breaking innovative products and services, and never-before tariff options. Diet-SMS is another way of fulfilling that promise," said Tata Docomo president Deepak Gulati.

"We broke the per-minute pricing paradigm for voice calls when we launched our services. With Diet-SMS, we are doing it again, this time on the SMS front."