Mobile2mobile Calls To Cost More

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Mobile2Mobile calls to cost more

RAJESHWARI ADAPPA THAKUR

EconomicTimes

MUMBAI: Calling from your mobile phone just got expensive. Although mobile operators call it rationalisation of charges as they announce a flat rate for calls made to either a mobile phone or a fixed phone, the hike in monthly rentals spells bad news for subscribers.

Cellular operators, BPL and Orange, in Mumbai on Wednesday announced a flat rate of Rs 2.25 per minute (post-paid) and Rs 2.75 per minute (pre-paid) for its entry level plans (most of the new acquisitions are in this category). An Airtel spokesperson said they had not made any changes to its tariff plans so far.

Thanks to the flat rate, mobile-to-mobile calls have become more expensive while mobile to fixed calls have become cheaper.

In the case of pre-paids, the flat rate has resulted in a hike in charges for calls to mobile phones from Rs 2.49 per minute to Rs 2.75 per minute and in the case of post-paid, the rates have jumped from Rs 1.99 per minute to Rs 2.25 per minute. On the positive side, calls from mobiles-to-fixed phones will be cheaper as the rates per minute have dropped from Rs 2.99 to Rs 2.75 (pre-paid) and in the case of post-paid, from Rs 2.49 to Rs 2.25.

What is likely to hurt the customer is the increase in monthly rentals from Rs 149 to Rs 175 in the case of post-paid customers. In the case of pre-paid customers, the talk time value is likely to be reduced, pointed out dealers. Mobile operators denied that rates where being hike and defended the new rates calling it a “rationalisation and simplification of rates.”

“We are offering one flat rate to customers where if charges have increased in one case, they have also reduced in the other instance. There will be small corrections, nothing dramatic,” said informed sources.

Denying that tariffs were being hiked, an Orange spokesperson said, “We are introducing a flat rate so as to minimise the load on the processor which has to identify each call whether it is being made to a mobile number or a fixed number.”

Regarding the increase in rental, he added, “We had dropped monthly rentals from Rs 299 to Rs 149 in October last, which was a Rs 150 drop, which was too drastic. Now, we have increased it only by Rs 25 since we have to maintain a balance between pre-paid and post-paid.” In the case of pre-paid, he said that the coupons were being reconfigured with incentives on some coupons and not on others.

As usual, the changes in the rates were done quietly. BPL Mobile, at least, conveyed the message to some of its subscribers through text messages. Operators who go wax eloquent when they drop rates were not too forthcoming with details about the latest changes.

With the increase in the mobile subscriber base, the traffic of mobile-mobile and mobile-fixed calls is almost equal. The changes in tariffs is not expected to make much difference in bills of subscribers, except in special cases. “This is not a revenue earning strategy for us, either,” said operators. The new rates are effective August 4.

Industry sources pointed out that the differential rates for calls from mobile-mobile and mobile-fixed were due to the different charges specified by the telecom regulator, TRAI.