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VoIP deregulation in India: Govt allows Internet telephony from April 1
Govt allows Internet telephony from April 1
Reuters
Friday, March 15, 2002
The Indian government, acting on recommendations made by the nation's
telecoms regulator, said on Friday it would allow Internet service providers
to offer telephone services over the Internet from April 1.
NEW DELHI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had last month
recommended that the government allow the cheaper, but inferior quality
Internet telephony service without charging the access providers any entry
fees.
"After examining the matter, the government has now decided to accept the
(TRAI's) recommendations," a government statement said, adding that detailed
guidelines would be issued on March 22.
India is set to end the monopoly enjoyed by the recently-privatised Videsh
Sanchar Nigam Ltd over the international calls business on April 1 and throw
it open to unlimited private competition.
The entry of private players is expected to sharply reduce overseas calls
charges from India, now among the highest in the world.
The government statement said from April 1, customers of Internet access
providers can make voice calls from their computers to another computer
within India and to a phone abroad.
The move will provide another income stream for scores of Internet service
providers, most of whom are bleeding because of huge costs which they cannot
recover from customers.
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Source:
http://www.siliconindia.com/tech/tech_pgtwo.asp?newsno=14323&newscat=Technol
ogy
