COAI welcomes TRAI's upward revision of termination charges for International calls

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) on Friday welcomed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) decision to revise the Fixed International Termination Charge from 30 paise to a range within 35-65 paise per minute.

"We welcome this step by the Regulator to revise the Fixed International Termination Charge from 30 paise to a forbearance regime within a prescribed range of 35 paise to 65 paise per minute," Rajan S Mathews, DG, COAI said.

"In our response to the consultation paper, we had submitted that in order to protect the interest of Indian telecom operators, the regulator should prescribe a higher rate of International Long Distance (ILD) termination charge to ensure parity with other countries that terminate calls to India," he added.

He further said: "With this revision, ILD Operators are expected to adjust their charges accordingly and regain parity with international countries. This is certainly a step in the right direction and will ensure the country does not lose precious FOREX in paying higher international termination rates to other countries. The Indian telecom sector needs more such measures to ensure robust telecom infrastructure and financial health."

TRAI made the revision in the termination charges earlier on Friday.

( With inputs from ANI )