Trai lowers call connect charge to 6 paise, no rate from 2020

Trai said new call termination charge will be applicable from October 1, 2017 and will be completely eliminated from January 1, 2020

Telecom regulator Trai today announced slashing of the mobile call connection charge by more than half to 6 paise a minute and said no rate will apply from January 1, 2020, a move that may benefit newcomer Reliance Jio.

Mobile companies currently charge 14 paise a minute for allowing a domestic call from a rival operator to terminate on their network. This charge, called Interconnection Usage Charge or IUC, will be 6 paise per minute from October 1, 2017, Trai said in a statement.

Mobile tariffs will fall if the operators pass on the benefit of reduced IUC charge to