Trai raises international call termination charges to 35-65 paise/min; telcos to benefit

Telecom regulator Trai has said that the international call termination charges will be brought under forbearance but within prescribed range of 35 to 65 paise/min against a fixed rate of 30 paise/minute earlier — a move expected to benefit telecom operators. International termination charge is the rate payable by an Indian International Long Distance Operator (ILDO), who carries the call from outside the country to access provider in the country in whose network the call terminates.
While the regulator has given a range with floor and a ceiling, and left it to operators to set the rate under a forbearance regime, it has, however, mandated that operators will offer non-discriminatory rate for such termination charges to everyone.
The regulator has said that an access services provider will offer non-discriminatory rate of such termination charge to their own associated ILDOs as well as standalone players to ensure level-playing field between standalone and integrated companies.