The integrated software, developed by a team of AP telecom engineers, has a common data base, which could be used by all telecom personnel dealing with commercial matters.

The software to be operated on the wide area network (WAN) will help in expediting matters like change of telephone numbers, shifting of telephone, transfer of telephones and billing, among other things.

Andhra Pradesh telecom chief general manager J Ramanujam told newsmen here on Wednesday that the software had completed its field trial in Guntur district and the package would be implemented in Hyderabad and nine other districts in the state soon.

He the Department of Telecommunications had also decided to implement the software in a phased manner throughout the country.

Ramanujam said thesoftware, when implemented could bring in the single-window concept of successful customer services and avoid dependence on third party software vendors for the department's in-house applications.He said the performance of the AP circle during 1998-99 with the capacity addition of more than 3.55 lakh lines against the target of 3.51 lakh, new phone connections of more than 4.04 lakh against the target of 2.5 lakh had taken the state to the second position in the country in respect of size of the network.

He said the performance of the circle during the year was the best in the country and crossing the mark of 4 lakh new lines in a year was a "landmark".The new services planned to be introduced during 1999-2000 included intelligent network, internet nodes at all district headquarters for national internet backbone network, wireless in local loops and optical fibre in local loops.

Ramanujam said the Andhra Pradesh telecom circle, one of the largest in the country, with a geographical area of 2.78 lakhsq.km, 29,460 villages and 230 towns catered to nearly 6.65 crore people through 2,062 exchanges with a capacity of 18,04,240 lines and 15,72,399 working connections.

He said 5.1 lakh lines functioned in Hyderabad telecom district and 10.6 lakh lines in the rest of AP circle. Staff per 1,000 telephones in the circle was brought down from 35 in 1995-96 to 22 in 1998-99.

The capital layout for the circle for 1999-2000 would be Rs 1,124 crore. The revenue realised during 1998-99 was Rs 1,119 crore, he claimed.

Out of the 2,062 exchanges working in the circle, there were 2,059 electronic exchanges resulting in better accessibility for group/STD dialing besides providing the much sought after facilities like STD dynamic barring and detailed billing.

Ramanujam said the new customer services to be introduced included phone on hone, tele shoppe and service through internet. About 110 exchanges had been damaged by extremists over the decade in the state.