Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Saturday, Nov 26, 2005
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Saturday, Nov 26, 2005 |
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Policy Info-Tech - Telecommunications Long distance dialling to be simplified — Fewer STD codes proposed Thomas K Thomas
New Delhi , Nov 25 AFTER initiating measures to bring down STD tariffs, the Government is now planning to simplify the dialling process for long distance calls by merging 2,645 STD codes in the country into 322. This is as a result of a proposal being considered by the Department of Telecom to allow operators to interconnect at the long distance charging area (LDCA), equivalent to a district exchange, instead of the present system of connecting at the short distance charging area (SDCA), which is equivalent to a tehsil. As per the existing numbering plan, each of the 2,645 SDCAs in the country have a different STD code. The latest proposal, which is part of the draft new telecom policy, would mean that the codes would be assigned to the LDCA. For example, at the moment there are at least seven SDCAs within Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, each with its own STD code. If the proposal comes through, then the entire Coimbatore district including Mettupalayam and Pollochi can be reached by dialling `0422'. Similarly, in Pune currently there are 20 STD codes for various places such as Lonavala, Kedgaon and Baramati. Once the new system comes into place, the whole of Pune can be reached by dialling the code `020'. The move is being planned as part of the Government's policy initiative to further liberalise the long distance sector. Recently the Communications Ministry had announced plans to bring in uniform tariffs across the country through the India One tariff from January 1 onwards. According to a draft of the New Telecom Policy, the STD rates may fall to below Re 1. The Government has also reduced the entry fee for long distance licence to Rs 2.5 crore from Rs 100 crore, paving the way for intense competition in the sector. The Government is also initiating the implementation of the carrier access codes (CAC), which will enable users to choose the long distance operator depending on the quality of service and tariff. Market watchers said that consumers could soon get city-specific tariffs where one operator could be offering better rates on particular routes.
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