Re: Different tariff structure for Internet Calls viz a viz Voice calls?

["Hasan A. Rizvi" <rizvi@isb.sdnpk.org>]

Dear Rishi Chawla,

Pakistan is a prime example for such differentiated tariff structure. 
While calls from all digital lines are metered, those to ISP access 
numbers - for connecting to the Internet - are not. The Internet 
community in Pakistan successfully lobbied for this facility in 1998, 
when the government introduced metering on local calls through 
digital exchanges.  

The present government, which is seen to be an extremely IT-friendly 
regime went a step further and abolished any metering or long 
distance rates for calls made from small towns - without having any 
ISP PoP - to dial ISPs in bigger cities. However, there's a fixed 
quota of such lines for long-distance access to the Internet.  

As such the Internet rates in Pakistan are by far the cheapest in the 
region if one factors the dial-up costs for accessing it.  

Cheers,
-Hasan Rizvi
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------- On Mon, 16 Sep 2002, Rishi Chawla wrote:

> Dear all,
> 
> I am looking for model countries, where there is different PSTN dial
> up tariff structure, for calls made to access Internet as against
> calls made for normal telephony.  Also does any one know of
> countries, where calls made for accessing Internet are unmetered or
> have lower tariff than normal telephony. Relevant links will be
> highly appreciated.
> 
> Thanks and regards
> 
> Rishi Chawla