Bangalore: The CellOne mobile service by the state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) will be launched nationally by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in Lucknow on October 19.

It was earlier scheduled to be launched on October two, 'Gandhi Jayanthi' day.

Union Communication and IT Minister, Pramod Mahajan, told reporters after attending a function here, that BSNL would roll out the service on October 19 due to change of schedule, and BSNL wanting the Prime Minister to launch it.

"BSNL felt that the first week of October is not auspicious for launching such an ambitious service as CellOne. Hence, it has decided to schedule it on October 19, as the Prime Minister will be out of the country from October 7 for a week for Denmark and other European countries," he said.

Mahajan will launch the service in Beed district of Maharashtra on October 21.

"After connecting all the state capitals on October 19, the service will be made available in all districts of India by March 2003, barring the seven states of North- East and Jammu and Kashmir, where it would be launched from August 15 next year," Mahajan said.

PTI