New Delhi: Idea Cellular, India''s premier cellular service provider company, has announced a massive reduction in airtime charges on mobile-to-mobile STD.

An Idea subscriber making an outgoing STD call to any other cellular subscriber will be charged an airtime of 50 paise per minute. Also, for all mobile-to-mobile ISD call the subscriber will pay zero airtime charges.

These rates will be applicable from 20 April 2003 for both its prepaid and postpaid subscribers. With this initiative Idea matches the tariffs being offered by incumbents operating in Delhi.

Idea Cellular has been the only operator in Delhi to offer all incoming calls free to its existing and new subscribers in both postpaid and prepaid segments. All incoming calls include WLL, landline and mobile.

The salient features of the new tariff offer from Idea Cellular:

• All mobile-to-mobile outgoing STD calls will now be charged an airtime of 50 paise per minute as against the existing rate.
• There will be no airtime charges on all mobile-to-mobile ISD calls.
• A drop of 100 per cent in airtime rates.
• All ISD call will attract a discount of 20 per cent on the PSTN component.
• The PSTN component on the STD calls will remain unchanged at Rs 2.99 per minute.

Says Idea Cellular chief operating officer Himanshu Kapania: "Idea Cellular has always been the frontrunner in offering the most innovative products and services. Since our launch of cellular services in Delhi we have captured a significant market share, which has been reflected by the welcomed response from our valued customers towards our innovative products and services. We believe that our initiative to offer competitive STD/ISD airtime will greatly benefit our subscribers and we look forward to come out with similar initiatives in the near future."