Lok Sabha Question No. 2973 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-08-03
Subject: Free National Roaming
Ministry: COMMUNICATIONS
Asked by: ANIL SHIROLE, JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2973 TO BE ANSWERED ON 3 RD  AUGUST, 2016

## FREE NATIONAL ROAMING

2973.  SHRI ANIL SHIROLE:

SHRI JANARDAN SINGH SIGRIWAL:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has approved 'One Nation-Free Roaming' facility for the mobile subscribers in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the various telecom service providers thereon;
- (c) whether the BSNL has already launched free national roaming facility to its  customers and the other PSU, the MTNL have not followed suit; and
- (d) if so, the reasons therefor and the time by which MTNL is likely to provide free roaming to its customers?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE (IC) OF THE MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS & MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)

(a)  & (b) One of the objectives of the National Telecom Policy, 2012, is to work towards One Nation - Free Roaming throughout the country. TRAI through the Telecommunication Tariff (55 th Amendment) Order, 2013 dated 17.06.2013 reduced the ceilings for national roaming tariff and mandated the wireless access service providers to offer special roaming tariff plans in which the subscribers  can  avail  partially  free  roaming,  or  fully  free  roaming  in  lieu  of  payment  of  fixed charges.

TRAI through the Telecommunication Tariff (60 th Amendment)  Order, 2015 dated 09.04.2015  reduced  the  ceilings  for  national  roaming  tariff  for  voice  calls  and  SMS  while  on national roaming, which came into effect from 01.05.2015. This amendment brought about the following changes in the tariff regime for national roaming service:

| Item                                             | Ceiling tariff as per TTO (55 th Amendment), 2013   | Ceiling tariff as per TTO (60 th Amendment), 2015   |
|--------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| Outgoing local voice call                        | Re.1.00 per minute                                  | Re.0.80 per minute                                  |
| Outgoing long distance (inter-circle) voice call | Re.1.50 per minute                                  | Re.1.15 per minute                                  |
| Incoming voice call                              | Re.0.75 per minute                                  | Re.0.45 per minute                                  |
| Outgoing local SMS                               | Rs.1.00 per SMS                                     | Rs.0.25 per SMS                                     |
| Outgoing long distance(inter circle) SMS         | Re.1.50 per SMS                                     | Re.0.38 per SMS                                     |

The TTO (60 th Amendment) which superseded the TTO (55 th  Amendment) mandated the TSPs to offer  a  Special  Roaming  Tariff  Plan  to  its  prepaid  and  post  paid  subscribers  wherein incoming voice calls while on national roaming shall be free, on payment of fixed charge, if any.

(c) & (d) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has launched free incoming voice call facility to the subscribers while in National Roaming for a period of one year w.e.f. 15.06.2015 which has been  extended  further  for  one  year  w.e.f.  15.06.2016.  MTNL  has  launched  free  incoming  call facility to its out roamers in India w.e.f. 29.12.2015 and further extended upto 28.06.2017.

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