Mumbai cell players slash rates by 31%

MUMBAI: Orange and BPL Mobile have announced the cut in tariffs by nearly 31

per cent in the Mumbai circle which will come in effect from today (June1). The

rates for outgoing and incoming calls, offered by the firms will be Rs 1.49 per

minute.

The rates, hitherto, were Rs 2.60 for outgoing and Rs. 1.60 for incoming

calls. Prepaid tariffs have also been cut from Rs 3 per minute to Rs 2.25 per

minute. The move is expected to bring a 40 per cent reduction in the consumer

billing rates. The move comes close in the heels of the private firms bringing

down their deposit rates from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1,500. The deposit rates have been

cut to Rs 399.

According to Orange CEO Sandip Das Gupta, the reduced deposit rates and the

availability of cheaper and quality handsets will provide consumers a wide range

to choice of cell phones. With the last barrier of tariff rates dropping to Rs

1.80 and in some places as low as Rs 1.20, the consumer has an unbeatable

package, he said.

With the announcement of flat airtime rates and attractive offers like

Talkathon and Nightspeak, Orange is hoping to make inroads into Mumbai’s cell

phone market, he said. Orange is hoping the steps would help in increasing its

subscriber base from the present two lakh.

Meanwhile, MTNL official, when contacted, said they would plan their future

strategy in a day to two, in response to the tariff cuts. The present outgoing

and incoming rates of the MTNL ‘s Dolphin cellular phone service are Rs. 2.6

per minute and Rs. 1.5 per minute, respectively.