If you’ve been crying foul over Airtel’s plans to charge separately for VoIP calls through services like Skype, Line or Viber, the Indian government may come to the rescue. Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, has announced that authorities will look into the matter and come up with a proper response.
The decision made by Airtel to levy extra charges for dialing numbers through web-based services, is the first of its kind in India. The company recently revised its terms and conditions to reflect the changes which mean that a user’s data pack will not be taken into account when they make VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls.
Instead, subscribers will be billed separately for incoming or outgoing calls through apps like Viber or Skype. It’ll literally cost an arm and a leg if you consider the fact that 1GB is pegged at Rs 10000 on 2G networks. On the other hand, 3G users will have to cough up Rs 4000 per GB of data, according to a post on PTI.
Related post: Airtel is ready to charge extra for calls through Internet-based services
Airtel plans to levy a fee of Rs 0.04 for 10KB and Rs 0.10 per 10 KB on 3G and 2G networks, respectively for VoIP services. Any Internet packages users have signed up for will only be valid for web browsing and normal access of data-based apps. The telecom provider will be offering a special pack just for VoIP calls.
Customers can alternatively opt to dial up friends over VoIP on pay-as-you-go basis. Incidentally, network operators were seen playing cry baby and asking the government to let them charge extra for basic Internet-based messaging services like WhatsApp and Line. But the TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) stomped all over this demand.
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Now it seems like Airtel has found a loophole somewhere and decided to take matters into its own hands. It’s not clear which way the government will swing on the issue of billing subscribers separately for VoIP calls. Whatever judgement it makes, the repercussions will have a major impact on telecom services in India.