Bangalore: Tata Teleservices has set its sights on Internet users, with a new Internet-enabled phone that the company estimates will account for up to 15 per cent of its sales in a booming mobile market.

The company has tied up with electronics major Samsung for the launch of their internet-browser-enabled phone Explore.

The company estimates monthly sales between 100,000 and 150,000 coming from the new Samsung handset, according to Manzoor Ameen, who heads the company''s operations in Bangalore, capital of India''s southern state of Karnataka.

The company estimates that at least 15 per cent of the existing user base would switch to the new mobile phone, which will come bundeled with unlimited mobile Internet access for an affordable Rs99 a month.

The move is set to redefine non-computer based internet access in India, as it places the web in the grasp of the common man with this offer, at the same time overcoming geographical limitations related to the provision of the service.

The potential of the market can be estimated from the fact that India adds six million mobile-phone users each month, which equals the number of computers estimated to be sold in the country this year.

The number of Internet users in India is estimated at 42 million, while the number of mobile phone users reached 157 million at the end of March.

Earlier in the year, Google''s vice president Vinton G Cerf, during a visit to India, had predicted that mobile phones, not computers, would drive growth of the worldwide web.

At Rs5,499, the phone comes packed with other features such as a 0.3-mega pixel digital camera, an FM radio, an MP3 player, a mobile tracker, an SOS alert, and the provision to insert external memory cards.

Starter kits and SIM cards would be charged extra. Customers can choose between tariff plans for internet access between options such as Rs10 a day, Rs30 for 7 days, and Rs99 for a month, each of which offers unlimited access at speeds of about 156 kbps, according to Srinivas Rao Sarapalli, chief operating officer, Tamil Nadu Circle, Tata Teleservices.

Additionally, both pre-paid and post-paid consumers can use this phone. The company presently has over 1.9 crore subscribers, of whom 60 per cent access the internet via their mobile phones.

''Samsung Explore'' is India''s first full-fledged Web browser phone, targeted at consumers who aspire to reap the benefits of high-quality mobility. It is said to pack in a host of the latest cutting-edge features like ultra-slim and sleek form factor, 0.3 MP camera, full-fledged MP3 player, FM with one-time Auto Tune, large 1.77-inch TFT colour screen to make pictures & websites come alive, unique customized-for-India applications, expandable memory to take care of your photos, MP3, video clips-and Samsung''s security features of Mobile Tracker and Emergency SOS Alert.

A mobile web browser, or micro browser as it is called, is designed for use on mobile phone, and is optimised to display Internet content for small screens on portable devices. These browsers work with smaller application files, which enable bandwidth-efficient and fast delivery on wireless handheld devices.

Some of the important benefits of the Mobile browser are:

• It provides personal connectivity on the move
• A default landing page with, short cuts to popular sites
• Easy navigation to open sites, search engines & emailing options
• Access to virtually all the links as they are displayed on the computer
• Maintains history of the recently visited sites for quick access
• Customisable screens for better viewing (zoom in/out)
• Image on/off control to enable rapid opening of sites

Delightful better user experience, as compared to WAP browsers