MTNL Launches VoIP international calls at Re1 per minute

Broadband voice and data telecommunication services provider, MTNL, has introduced voice overt internet protocol- (VoIP) international voice calls at Re1 per minute, without having to use a PC. The service shall be available to about 150 countries

Branded, Netfone, the service that will be operational over its broadband network will allow international subscriber dialling (ISD) subscribers to make calls at this rate to to landlines and mobiles the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and many other countries. and for Japan, Malaysia and many other countries Rs2 per minute.

The service will initially be available on a prepaid basis and will also be available to all MTNL PCO holders.

MTNL''s broadband customers subscribing to the VoIP service will be able to make international calls from a normal telephone without a PC.

"We are now all set to connect the people of our country with the world and I am confident that people would be delighted with the service and demand would certainly increase, said R S P Sinha, chairman and managing director, MTNL, while announcing the commercial launch of its Netfone VoIP services.

"VoIP induction to MTNL''s list of services is the result of the relentless efforts to provide consumers the benefits of technology at the most affordable prices," Sinha said.

MTNL will now be providing a 4-in-1 facility on a single MTNL landline connection, which will enable customers to use normal telephone, internet, VoIP phone and IPTV simultaneously.

The VoIP Service (voice over internet protocol) will be available to MTNL''s broadband customers. The VoIP uses the ''session initiation protocol'' (SIP) for transporting voice packets. It is partnering with communication technology provider Aksh Optifibre Ltd.

To start with, MTNL can handle up to 50,000 VoIP subscribers thopugh ot wil release only 10,000 connections in this financial year and 50,000 in the subsequent year.

According to A K Arora, executive director, MTNL, Delhi, a non-refundable rregistration and installation charges for subscribing to the service are Rs500 will be charged directly in the telephone bill.

The customer can make two types of calls SIP to SIP for local, national and international calls and SIP to PSTN / mobile for international calls only.

The service has been launched with attractive tariff plans such as Plan VoIP 200 with a monthly rental Rs.200 with having 400 minutes of SIP-SIP calls free and 20 paise per minute thereafter and; Plan VoIP 400 with a monthly rental Rs.400 with 800 minutes of SIP-SIP calls free and 10 paise per minute thereafter.

The service will be provided through an analog telephone adaptor (ATA), which is connected to ADSL modem. The refundable security deposit for this will Rs1,000 with a fixed quarterly rental of Rs243 (inclusive of service tax).

A lifetime plan for ATA is also available for Rs1,460 (inclusive of all taxes).

The prepaid cards will be available in the denomination of Rs.100, Rs.500 and
Rs.1 000 with validity of 3 months, 6 months and 12 months respectively with full talk value and available at all MTNL Sachaar haats.

Dr Kailash Choudhary, MD, Aksh Optifibre Ltd, said, that with the launch of VoIP service, a single communication platform had been created for Indian subscribers in the country and abroad.

The registration and provisioning will start from 27 August, and customers can book VoIP connection by dialing 1500/26990000.