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Telecom operators, including Vodafone, Airtel and Idea Cellular, have slashed national roaming tariffs by up to 40 per cent.
Incoming calls while roaming will be charged at 45 paise a minute compared with 75 paise now. Outgoing calls are down 20 per cent from one Rupee a minute to 80 paise.
The tariff cut is a result of reduction in ceiling rates announced by the telecom regulator recently. The new rates are effective May 1.
The rates have been slashed for both local and STD calls. STD calls will now be charged at ₹1.15 per minute compared with ₹1.50 per minute.
The prices of text messages have also been slashed. Local SMS would be charged at 25 paise compared with ₹1 earlier, national SMS at 38 paise from ₹1.50 earlier.
Telecom operators had initially opposed the TRAI’s move to reduce the ceiling on the grounds that it would further hit their voice telephony revenues. Airtel for example, has already seen a 2.4 per cent sequential dip in voice revenue per minute during the fourth quarter ended March, apart from a fall in voice average revenue per user. The latest reduction could worsen the situation unless volume picks up.
TRAI had argued that it will not review its decision to bring down the ceiling rates because it expected the operators to be compensated by an increase in traffic. Many users do not use their mobile phones while roaming fearing higher bills.
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