Pushing open VoIP in India

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is recommending unrestricted internet telephony for the country's Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

If implemented, prices of domestic long-distance calls are expected to drop by half, with international call pricing to fall by a fifth.  ISPs are currently allowed to offer VoIP, but with certain restrictions. The new policies would enable consumers to call through the internet directly to fixed line and mobile numbers across the country and vice versa, regardless of device or connection type.

Two years ago, India permitted telecom licensees to offer unrestricted internet telephony, but none of the mobile operators have done so yet, since VoIP would drive down prices and impact average revenues per user. Mobile operators are not happy with the move, since they already have some of the lowest revenues per user in the world.

For more:
- Business Standard reports on India VoIP deregulation push

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