Airtel to charge Rs 10k/GB for internet calls on 2G

Bharti Airtel customers will now have to pay more— about Rs 10,000 per GB on 2G network—for making calls on Skype, Viber or other apps, as the operator has decided to charge extra for VoIP service—voice calls over the Internet.

As per estimates, usage of 1 GB data can entail voice calls of about 10 hours, depending on various factors, including speed and network strength, while data usage could be much higher for video calls.

The proposed charges are less than half for the 3G network.  Skype and similar apps have gained traction in the recent past mostly because they are offered for free, and users pay only for the data usage, mostly bundled with the Internet package paid for them.

“All Internet or data packs or plans (through which customer can avail discounted rate) shall only be valid for Internet-browsing, and will exclude VoIP—both incoming and outgoing. VoIP over data connectivity would be charged at standard data rates of 4p per 10 KB (3G service) and 10p per 10 KB (2G service),” said Airtel on its website.

Based on standard rates, the usage of each GB of data for VoIP on 3G network will cost about Rs 4,000, while the same usage on 2G network will cost about Rs 10,000.