Shocking news for customers: Jio to charge 6 paise per minute for outgoing calls to Airtel, Vodafone
Here are all new plans
New Delhi: There has been an ongoing debate on the IUC (Interconnect Usage Charge) in the telecom industry for a while and the last we talked about it, both Airtel and Jio had reduced the ring time for outgoing calls to 20 seconds.
However, the case is dealt with by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and while the outcome may take some time, Reliance Jio has already taken a move to offset the losses it has been incorporating due to the IUC.
In a surprising move, Jio has announced that it will charge customers for levying the IUC charge on all outgoing calls to other networks for the time being. The IUC charge set by TRAI is currently at 6 paise per minute and Jio will pass this expense to its customers if they are calling someone from another operator. Jio has come up with a few IUC plans that customers can purchase in order to make calls to other networks. The new Jio regulations have been implemented from Wednesday.
If you didn't understand that, here's the simple explanation.
If you have a Jio number and you call someone using an Airtel or Vodafone-Idea number, you will be charged 6 paise per minute till the time you keep ringing. The calls will still be free to all other operator but you will have to pay 6 paise per minute till the time you ringing the other person.
However, if you are making a call to a Jio number or a landline number, then you don't have to pay anything. Also, all incoming calls, as well as WhatsApp calls, will stay unaffected from this. The IUC charge will also be applicable to postpaid users and it will be added to their billing cycle.
New Jio IUC plans
Jio is offering four new IUC plans with extra data benefits. Here are all the plans listed with the benefits:
--Rs 10 plan will offer 124 minutes of IUC minutes to non-Jio numbers and 1GB data.
--Rs 20 plan will offer 249 minutes of IUC minutes to non-Jio numbers and 2GB data.
--Rs 50 plan will offer 656 minutes of IUC minutes to non-Jio numbers and 5GB data.
--Rs 100 plan will offer 1,362 minutes of IUC minutes to non-Jio numbers and 10GB data.
What is IUC?
IUC or Interconnect Usage Charge is the amount a telecom operator has to pay to the other telecom operator if a customer makes an outgoing call to a customer of the other telecom operator. The TRAI decides the IUC charge and currently, all operators have to pay 6 paise per minute.
Why is Jio doing this?
Jio wants the TRAI to go for zero IUC charge and that seems to be happening by early 2020. While other operators charge their customers for calls, Jio offers free calls on its network and hence, it has to bear losses as Jio pays the IUC charge for every call made to another network.
"The amendment to the IUC Regulations in 2017 was after considerable deliberations and consultations. In this background the consultation paper has created Regulatory uncertainty and therefore Jio has been compelled, most reluctantly and unavoidably, to recover this regulatory charge of 6 paise per minute for all off-net mobile voice calls so long as IUC charges exist," says Jio.
When will the IUC charges end for Jio customers?
"Jio again assures its 35 crore customers that the 6 paise per minute charge on outgoing off-net mobile calls shall continue only till the time TRAI abolishes IUC, in line with its present regulation," says Jio.
Courtesy: www.indiatoday.in
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Jyotirmath Shankaracharya slams RSS chief for 'politically convenient' position on restoring temples
Haridwar, Dec 22: Shankaracharya of the Jyotirmath Peeth in Uttarakhand Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Sunday criticised RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for his "politically convenient" position on restoring temples.
Avimukteshwaranand said a list of temples destroyed in the past by invaders be prepared and archaeological surveys of the structures be carried out to "restore Hindu pride".
"When he wanted power, he went around speaking about temples. Now that he has power, he is advising not to look for temples," he said on Bhagwat's remarks.
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Bhagwat recently said that it was not acceptable that new temple-mosque disputes are raked up after the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The seer said a lot of atrocities have been committed against the Hindus and their religious places have been destroyed in the past. "If now, the Hindu society wants to restore and preserve its temples, then what is wrong in it?"
The Shankaracharya also criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on BR Ambedkar in Parliament that has triggered a huge row between the ruling BJP and the Opposition.
Defending Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Avimukteshwaranand said the scuffle outside Parliament was due to Shah's remarks on Ambedkar.
He said that there are a lot of people who support Ambedkar's ideology so everyone is using his name for their politics.
Shah has been under fire from several opposition parties since Tuesday over a comment he made referring to Ambedkar during a debate on the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha.
The next day, the BJP leader held a press conference and accused Congress of twisting facts and distorting his comments.
The seer also condemned alleged atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh and said that the central government should take strict action on the matter. He said that illegal immigrants from Bangladesh living in India should be sent back. He slammed the central government accusing it of lack of action on the matter.
Bhagwat has recently expressed concern over the resurgence of new temple-mosque disputes and asserted that certain individuals, after the construction of Ayodhya's Ram Temple, seem to believe they can become "leaders of Hindus" by raking up such issues.
