MTNL, BSNL announce new tarrifs

MUMBAI: State-owned telecom players MTNL and BSNL have slashed the number of free calls by more than half but have retained the three-minute pulse for local calls and kept the overall monthly rentals unchanged. The new rates, cleared by the TRAI, will be effective from May 1, 2003.

BSNL has slashed free calls for urban users from 75 to 30 calls per month and for rural users to 50 calls per month. It has retained the existing three-minute pulse for local calls for fixed-to-fixed lines (landline telephone to landline telephones) up to 50 km has been retained.

MTNL has decided to offer three alternative packages that retain the three minute pulse for local calls, with effect from the first of next month. While the monthly rental for the first plan has been retained at Rs 250 per month and call charges too have been retained at Rs 0.80 up to 300 calls and Rs 1.20 up to 2,000 calls, in the second package, the rental would be Rs 280 with additional value added features like free abbreviated dialing service, call transfer facility, three party conference and e-mail on phone service. The third package is for heavy users and offers 2,000 free calls for a monthly rental of Rs 2,000.

MTNL has also announced that calling line identification facility has been made free of charge for all customers of all the packages. The call tariff has been reduced from Rs 1.20 to Re 1 for calls made beyond 2,000 calls.

This assumes significance as TRAI had announced standard tariffs in January, increasing the monthly rentals and call charges for basic telephony services, a move which had led to apprehensions that the telephone services may become less affordable after implementation of the new tariffs.

BSNL’s intra-circle long distance calls beyond 200-km have been brought down from Rs 4.80 per minute to Rs 2.40 per minute and this would be available to all customers including the non-STD customers by dialling 95. In case of inter-circle calls, the long distance tariffs would remain unchanged for fixed-to-fixed calls.

Inter-circle long distance calls from fixed to a cell phone would be made cheaper to Rs 3.60 per minute from Rs 4.80 per minute for distance beyond 200 km. Internet access during peak hours would remain unchanged at three minute pulse rate as at present and during off-peak hours (10:30 pm to 6:30 am), it will be cheaper at the rate of 10 minute pulse amounting to Rs 7 per hour.

BSNL is also offering special concessional packages to high calling subscribers both in rural and urban areas.