AB RELIANCE KYA KARENGA
In a major bonanza to subscribers, two state owned telecom companies, BSNL and MTNL, today launched "OneIndia" plan, charging maximum tariff of Re 1 for a call to any place in the country, effective from March 1.
They reduced local call rates to Re 1 for a three-minute call. But this comes with a increase in rental of Rs 49 to Rs 299 per month from the existing Rs 250.
CMDs of both BSNL and MTNL said all existing tariff plans would continue to be in operation including the lower rentals scheme in rural areas and 'OneIndia' tariff plan would be optional.
Under the new tariff package for BSNL's landine users, the local call charges will be Re 1 for three minutes within BSNL network (earlier Rs 1.20 for three minutes), while calls to other networks both landline and mobile will be Rs 1 per minute within a state (intra-circle). This was earlier Rs 1.20 a minute.
All other calls made from landline or mobile phones anywhere in the country would be charged at the rate of Re 1 a minute which was earlier approximately Rs 2.40 a minute, BSNL chairman A K Sinha told reporters.
For MTNL landline users, who were previously paying Rs 1.90 a minute for a Delhi-Mumbai STD call, will now pay Re 1 a minute for the same call to any network along with Rs 299 monthly rental. The same charges of Re 1 a minute applies even to calls within the state (intra-circle) which was earlier Rs 1.20 a minute. Local calls to landline will be Re 1 for three minutes (earlier Rs 1.20 for three minute).
However, both BSNL and MTNL today said "there would be no loss of revenue and the tariffs were Interconnect Usage Charges and Access Deficit Charge-compliant as prescribed by TRAI, the telecom regulator.
As per the existing Interconnect Usage Charge (IUC) regime the operator has to shell out 30 paise each for origination, termination and ADC and upto Rs 1.10 towards carriage charge (depending upon the distance).
Going by this, STD call rates cannot be brought down below Rs 1.85 for a distance between 200-500 kms and Rs 2 a minute for call beyond 500 kms. But the PSUs believe that with the arrival of revenue-share based ADC and carriage charges being lowered, the Rs 1 a minute STD would be the most competitive tariff.
With the death of geographical barriers as calls will cost Re 1 a minute from Dwarka to Dimapur and Kashmir to Kanyakumari, PSUs are hoping that losses nothwithstanding, they could regain the fixed line telephony market that they lost due to competitive tariffs of mobile telephony.
"With this, the tariffs of mobile telephony and fixed line phones have become same and this should encourage the use of fixed line phones by customers," BSNL CMD said.
In a major bonanza to subscribers, two state owned telecom companies, BSNL and MTNL, today launched "OneIndia" plan, charging maximum tariff of Re 1 for a call to any place in the country, effective from March 1.
They reduced local call rates to Re 1 for a three-minute call. But this comes with a increase in rental of Rs 49 to Rs 299 per month from the existing Rs 250.
CMDs of both BSNL and MTNL said all existing tariff plans would continue to be in operation including the lower rentals scheme in rural areas and 'OneIndia' tariff plan would be optional.
Under the new tariff package for BSNL's landine users, the local call charges will be Re 1 for three minutes within BSNL network (earlier Rs 1.20 for three minutes), while calls to other networks both landline and mobile will be Rs 1 per minute within a state (intra-circle). This was earlier Rs 1.20 a minute.
All other calls made from landline or mobile phones anywhere in the country would be charged at the rate of Re 1 a minute which was earlier approximately Rs 2.40 a minute, BSNL chairman A K Sinha told reporters.
For MTNL landline users, who were previously paying Rs 1.90 a minute for a Delhi-Mumbai STD call, will now pay Re 1 a minute for the same call to any network along with Rs 299 monthly rental. The same charges of Re 1 a minute applies even to calls within the state (intra-circle) which was earlier Rs 1.20 a minute. Local calls to landline will be Re 1 for three minutes (earlier Rs 1.20 for three minute).
However, both BSNL and MTNL today said "there would be no loss of revenue and the tariffs were Interconnect Usage Charges and Access Deficit Charge-compliant as prescribed by TRAI, the telecom regulator.
As per the existing Interconnect Usage Charge (IUC) regime the operator has to shell out 30 paise each for origination, termination and ADC and upto Rs 1.10 towards carriage charge (depending upon the distance).
Going by this, STD call rates cannot be brought down below Rs 1.85 for a distance between 200-500 kms and Rs 2 a minute for call beyond 500 kms. But the PSUs believe that with the arrival of revenue-share based ADC and carriage charges being lowered, the Rs 1 a minute STD would be the most competitive tariff.
With the death of geographical barriers as calls will cost Re 1 a minute from Dwarka to Dimapur and Kashmir to Kanyakumari, PSUs are hoping that losses nothwithstanding, they could regain the fixed line telephony market that they lost due to competitive tariffs of mobile telephony.
"With this, the tariffs of mobile telephony and fixed line phones have become same and this should encourage the use of fixed line phones by customers," BSNL CMD said.