Saturday, 27 December 2014

Airtel To Charge For VoIP Calls; TRAI Head Says No Foul Play

India's largest telecom player Bharti Airtel has announced that it will charge for the VoIP calls made from its network. VoIP calls made through Skype, Whatsapp, WeChat, Viber, Line, or any such app will be billed separately and not from the customer's data pack.

The company has announced a VoIP specific data plan for the prepaid users. This plan will cost the customers Rs 75 for 75MB data that will allow them to make 200 minutes of VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) calls. 

Airtel To Charge For VoIP Calls; TRAI Head Says No Foul Play

According to the press statement issued by Airtel, the current VoIP model is not sustainable in the longer run in its current form hence the company has decided to charge for the same.

 “Our voice services that are enjoyed by every one of our customers provide us the capacity to continuously invest in and upgrade our networks on an ongoing basis. We, therefore, believe that VoIP services in their current form are not tenable for us as a business. As a result we will charge separately for VoIP services,” the statement says.

It should be noted that the customers who have purchased their data plans before December 24 will be allowed to use the VoIP services without being billed separately for the same. And when their recharge cycle ends, they will be forced to buy the plan or will have to pay according to the pay-as-you-go basis (4 paise per 10 KB).


On one hand the IB ministry has assured the customers that it will look into the issue, and on the other, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman Rahul Khullar says the move made by the telecom giant is not illegal. But he agrees that the move certainly confronts the ‘net neutrality’, which calls for all data usages to be treated equally.

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