BSNL allows intra-circle roaming at 52 paise/min

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Ending a year-long face-off with the private operators, state-owned telecom behemoth Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) has decided to permit private operators to offer intra-circle roaming on its network.

The move will enable private service providers to offer enhanced services to subscribers in areas where they do not have licences to operate.

BSNL will levy 52 paise per minute for every outgoing call, according to sources.

The company has decided to sign contracts with private operators for intra-circle roaming on an experimental basis initially, and for a period of six months only. The company has also decided to revisit the levy and renew it, if needed, after a six month period.

The decision to permit intra-circle roaming was taken at a recent management committee meeting held in Delhi.

Even though operating and various other expenses would be borne by BSNL, the expenses for upgrading equipment, Interconnect Usage Charges (IUC), termination charges, license fee, spectrum charges, SMS and value-added service charges would have to be footed by the private operator.

BSNL’s management committee expects to make profits as it expects the 52 paise per minute levy to be much lower than its expenses.

The private operators had earlier approached Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), accusing BSNL of blocking calls carried by private long distance operators within a circle. Private operators had also written a complaint to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), seeking its interference in the matter.

The stand off had affected services, as calls made by private operator's subscribers to BSNL users within the same circle were allegedly blocked. BSNL had denied the charges.

Later, the DoT had issued a circular permitting mobile operators to sign intra-circle roaming pacts with each other, a move that was seen as assisting the new entrants and regional players to offer enhanced services to subscribers.