The Hindu : Business : BSNL announces lower cellular rates

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 28, 2004

Business

Business

BSNL announces lower cellular rates

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 27. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) today joined the price war by announcing lower cellular call rates. It has also reduced the fixed phone STD charges by one-third for all distances. The new rates will be effective from September 10 and extended to the existing subscribers, the BSNL chief, V. P. Sinha, said.

While the cellular companies' lowest rates are for calls in the same network, BSNL's tariff does not discriminate against calls made to subscribers of another network. The company has also rationalised fixed to cellular charges for subscribers in areas where cellular companies do not have the point of interconnection.

Pre-paid service

For the pre-paid customers, intra-circle calls to any network will cost 90 paise a minute, against the present rate of Rs. 2.20. Inter-circle calls will cost Rs. 2 which is 40 paise less than the existing rate. The cost for intra-circle calls to fixed networks will be halved to Rs. 1.20 while all inter calls will be metered at a flat rate of Rs. 2.40 instead of the two-slab rate of Rs. 2.40 and Rs. 3.60.

For the post-paid `Plan 325' subscribers, intra-circle calls will cost 80 paise a minute (with 15 seconds pulse rate), down by 60 paise, and intra-circle calls will continue to be billed at Rs. 1.80. The post-paid intra-circle calls to fixed networks will cost Rs. 1.20 a minute as against the present rate of Rs. 1.80. There will be two slabs instead of three for inter-circle calls. The rate for the first slab stays at Rs. 1.80 a minute for calls up to 200 km while all calls beyond that distance will be charged at a flat rate of Rs. 2.40 against the existing Rs. 2.40 for 200 to 500 km and Rs. 3.60 for distances beyond 500 km.

STD rates

In the case of STD rates that will benefit ordinary subscribers as well as PCO booths, BSNL will bring down the rate for intra-circle calls beyond 100 km to Rs. 1.20. Thus, all intra-circle calls for distances beyond 50 km will cost a flat rate of Rs. 1.20 but the pulse will be 60 seconds as against the existing 40 seconds. The call charges for a distance beyond 200 km will be Rs. 2.40 a minute in place of Rs. 3.60. This makes the intra-circle tariff for calls beyond 50 km at a uniform Rs. 2.40 a minute. The existing pulse rate for local and up to 50 km calls is being retained at 90 seconds or an effective rate of 80 paise a minute.

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