Question - With Free Internet Telephony just come up in India some of you could thought that, you were already making calls over the internet, than what’s this Free Internet Telephony meant for?

Answer - That works only over net-enabled PCs. You couldn’t terminate internet telephony calls on fixed and mobile networks and vice-versa. Now TRAI newest recommendation has now made it possible to do so.

TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has broken the ice finally after all that scrutiny over illegal Internet telephony in India in last year’s October when big names such as Skype, Google, Net2Phone has to go under scrutiny and alleged of 10 million minutes of illegal net telephony without any license.

On 12th of May TRAI released a 12 questions consultation paper on “Issues related to Internet Telephony”, which needs to replied by the stake holders, example of various countries and background of Internet Telephony in India. The question relates to whether ISPs should be permitted net Telephony services to land-line phones within India, what would be implication and Interconnections between computers and land-line/ mobile phones.

On Aug 18 TRAI come with detail recommendation i.e. conclusion to permit Internet telephony to ISPs with permission to provide Internet telephony calls to PSTN/PLMN and vice-versa within country along with necessary amendments made in the license provisions.

TRAI in its recommendation interprets to provide end-users in country the innovative and cost effective services. Due importance have been given to level playing filed among various service providers, Interconnection mechanism, Interconnect usage charges (IUC), Numbering, Lawful interception, Emergency number dialing, Interoperability, Quality of Service etc.

Now calling relatives/ friends abroad will be just for Re 1 to 2 per minute, a sharp drop from the present average of Rs 7/minute. National long distance rates could drop to 30-50 paise per minute, against Rs 1-2 at present. And local calls could be virtually free, at just about 30 paise per minute, against today’s Re 1.

Major Internet Telephony/ VoIP Resources in India

Yahoo Voice, Net2Phone, Packet8, Go2Call, Lingo and will look forward to see more such products and services in India after such new major recommendation for Internet Telephony and VoIP phenomena in India and noticeably Skype reaction towards this.