Mobile call rates to go up by 30 paise/minute

This certainly isn't good news for those who love spending long hours talking away on their cellphones. Mobile call rates are to jump by 30 paise per minute. The telecom industry says the move to hike tarrifs is imminent, as a result of a rather disappointing decision by the Cabinet to keep the base price of the spectrum fixed at Rs.14,000 crore. The decision, says the telecom industry, will prove to be "regressive" for the sector's growth and that it would force operators to hike tariffs. Reports further quoted the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), "It will continue to have an impact on the tariffs to the extent of about 30 paisa per minute. The effect on finances is that an amount of Rs 3,20,000 crore of additional debt that will have to be laid on the industry".Click here for full story