25.9.12

No roaming charges from next year


National roaming charges will end next year. “From next year... our secretary has told you it will be free from next year,” communications minister Kapil Sibal said on being asked when roaming charges would end, as promised in the telecom policy.
Mobile users pay around 60 paise a minute in their home market while shelling out Rs 1.25 to 1.50 a minute while roaming in another telecom circle. Although you can make calls at the same rate once roaming charges are dropped, telecom operators who would lose revenue may end up jacking up local call charges to recoup some of the losses, a company executive said.
While the government has promised to end national roaming charges from next year, telecom regulator Trai is yet to kick off consultations since a change in norms are required. The process requires a discussion paper followed by open house sessions with stakeholders before the rules are firmed up. One of the trickiest issues that the regulator will have to deal with is interconnect charges that operators have to pay one another to connect a mobile user from the roaming circle to his home circle. Sources said the consultation process could take a while, especially on the inter-connect, which is a source of revenue for telecom operators.

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