New Delhi: The telecoms regulator yesterday reduced tariff ceilings for national roaming calls and text messages with effect from July 1 and said it would allow service providers to offer national roaming to subscribers for a fixed fee from the same date.
However, GSM operators expressed strong displeasure at the move.
The tariff ceilings prescribed by TRAI in 2007 were Rs1.40 per minute for outgoing calls and Rs2.40 per minute for outgoing long-distance calls on national roaming. These ceilings have been reduced to Re1 per minute and Rs.1.50 per minute, respectively.
The tariff ceilings for incoming calls on national roaming have been reduced from Rs1.75 per minute to Re.0.75 per minute.
Tariffs for outgoing text messages on national roaming have been capped: Outgoing local messages at Re.1 per message and outgoing long-distance messages at Rs1.50 per message. Incoming messages will remain free of charge.
It said competitive pricing below the new ceiling levels is expected. It also planned to encourage special tariff vouchers and combo vouchers to be permitted for roaming tariffs.
This exercise to review national roaming tariffs was initiated by TRAI earlier this year to move towards “One Nation-Free Roaming” throughout the country, as mentioned in the New Telecom Policy, 2012.
Rajan S Mathews, director general of Cellular Operators Association of India, said the association for GSM operators was “disappointed with TRAI because it has moved away from its position of forbearance on tariff with regard to SMS roaming. This change in position is disappointing.”
“Earlier, TRAI had left it to the market forces to decide on the rates. But now it is moving away from it and also intervening regarding price decisions.”
IANS
