Trai asks telcos to cut voice costs to level of OTT applications

OTT applications like WhatsApp, Skype, Hike, etc, are able to deliver voice communications at a fraction of a paisa per minute

After having cut call termination charges to six paise a minute, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) wants mobile telephone operators to reduce their voice call costs to the level of over-the-top (OTT) applications.

The latter's voice call costs are a fraction of a paisa a minute, as against 30-35p a minute in traditional second-generation technology (2G) networks. Trai says this shift is possible if all service providers implement advanced IP-based networks. This would also result in mobile termination charges (MTCs) becoming redundant.

Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio has an all IP-based network, due to which its voice