India Broadband Forum

icar

You can now choose your STD operator
Consumers will soon get the freedom to choose their long distance telephone operator.

The Department of Telecom has decided to allow long distance players to sell calling cards directly to telephone users.
It has, however, not given its approval to a proposal to permit unrestricted Internet telephony and has referred it back to the telecom regulator.
At present telephone users do not get to choose their long distance provider.



For example, an Airtel mobile subscriber is forced to make STD or ISD calls on Bharti Airtel’s own long distance network.
Once the calling cards are introduced in the market, subscribers can buy one from a retail outlet just like they buy a pre-paid mobile card.
The card will have a 16-digit coded number, which the subscriber will have to punch it on his mobile or fixed line telephone.



This will take subscriber directly to the operator’s long distance network from where the STD or ISD call can be made.



According to industry estimates, long distance tariffs are likely to come down by at least 60-70 per cent once the STD operators have direct access to the end-subscribers.



There are only four operators that have a pan-Indian long distance network. These are Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd.



Calling cards could benefit other companies that have a long distance telephony licence.
For example BT, AT&T and Cable &Wireless have a long distance telephony licence but do not offer any service directly for the retail customers in India.



Calling cards could give these companies an opportunity to enter the voice-based long distance segment in India as well.
The proposal on Net telephony will allow subscribers to make domestic calls to a mobile or fixed line phone using their laptop or PCs.
At present, this is allowed only for international calls.



Consumers will, however, have to wait to take advantage of this service since DoT has sought TRAI’s views on security-related issues.



The Hindu Business Line : You can now choose your STD operator

justcurio.us

This is a good step by the ministry.Everyone benefits form this move.

cool_techie_tvm

Thanks for the info. Atleast we have something to chew on

saurav_k

thanks for the information

panchabhut

i just hope that it would actually come through and not just remain some press release with a view to the coming polls.

Gary4gar

This is a Good Step.

Any idea on availabilty of such cards?

cool_techie_tvm

Since the rules have been passed recently it might take sometime before we can come across such cards.