No STD calls at 10 p/min for now
ISPs like Net4 and Sify had offered to provide STD calls at 40p/min much cheaper than Rs 2.40 p/min that customers currently pay for STD calls.Smartphones
By Harsimran Singh, ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: The hope of STD calls as cheap as 10 paise per minute for telecom subscribers in India seems to be shattered, at least for the present. The telecom commission which met on Monday has referred the issue of allowing unrestricted net telephony back to TRAI.
"There are lot of issues to be sorted out in the same. We are referring it back to Trai,"a senior member in the telecom commission, Department of Telecom told ET.
TRAI had last year recommended unrestricted domestic telephony which would have allowed mobile subscribers in India to route their STD calls via the internet, thus making them very cheap.
ISPs like Net4 and Sify had offered to provide STD calls at 40 p per minute much cheaper than Rs 2.40 per minute that customers currently pay for STD calls via mobile networks.
Cellular mobile operators were dead against the allowing of free domestic net telephony. Mobile operators were arguing on the fact that UASL (Universal Access Licence Holders) had paid huge licence fee (upwards of Rs 1600 crore) and allowance of domestic internet telephony will provide an advantage to ISPs.
The referral back to TRAI means that the issue may not be able to get resolved within the time-frame of this government.
The internet service providers called the move by DoT as anti consumer. Thus, mobile subscribers in India might have to wait longer for cheaper calls via internet, at least for now.
"There are lot of issues to be sorted out in the same. We are referring it back to Trai,"a senior member in the telecom commission, Department of Telecom told ET.
TRAI had last year recommended unrestricted domestic telephony which would have allowed mobile subscribers in India to route their STD calls via the internet, thus making them very cheap.
ISPs like Net4 and Sify had offered to provide STD calls at 40 p per minute much cheaper than Rs 2.40 per minute that customers currently pay for STD calls via mobile networks.
Cellular mobile operators were dead against the allowing of free domestic net telephony. Mobile operators were arguing on the fact that UASL (Universal Access Licence Holders) had paid huge licence fee (upwards of Rs 1600 crore) and allowance of domestic internet telephony will provide an advantage to ISPs.
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The referral back to TRAI means that the issue may not be able to get resolved within the time-frame of this government.
The internet service providers called the move by DoT as anti consumer. Thus, mobile subscribers in India might have to wait longer for cheaper calls via internet, at least for now.
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