Airtel wants incoming-call fees from other networks till 2022

Telecom operator Bharti Airtel in its submission to sector regulator Trai has favoured charging incoming calls originating from network of other mobile phone service provider till 2022.

Vodafone Idea and stateowned BSNL have also favoured levying of the interconnect usage charge (IUC), currently 6 paise per minute, on every incoming calls from network of other operators. However, Jio has opposed continuation of the charges.

Trai had proposed to move from the current IUC regime to the BAK (bill and keep), regime where no operator will charge for mobile call transmission, from January 1, 2020. However, the regulator recently floated consultation paper on whether there is a need to defer the date of removing mobile call termination charges.

Airtel and Vodafone Idea have said IUC is a fee charged from a telecom operator for using infrastructure of other service provider to complete call of his subscriber. "There is a dire need to move the applicable date for BAK (bill and keep) regime by at least 3 years," Airtel said. NEW DELHI: Reliance Jio on Monday announced new medium priced tariff plan by marginally cutting the existing pack and adjusting the interconnection usage charges (IUC) in them.

"The three-month 2 GB per day pack will now cost only Rs 444 instead of Rs 448 with additional 1,000 minutes of offnet IUC min which would have come at nearly Rs 80, separately," Jio said in a statement.

Similarly, the company has brought down cost of its two-month plan to Rs 333 and offer additional 1,000 minutes of outgoing calls. The company claimed that based on IUC charge, the additional 1,000 minutes would have costed customers nearly Rs 80, separately.

The company has raised the price of Rs 198 monthly pack to Rs 222 by adjusting cost of IUC calls worth Rs 80 as it has done in other new plans.