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Govt nods limited mobility facility on basic phone

The government on Thursday allowed basic telecom service providers to start limited mobile services in local area amidst reports of strong opposition from cellular operators.

Announcing the decision Communication Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said that government has accepted the recommentations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India to permit mobile telephony on the network of basic operators through wireless in local loop (WLL) platform.

The WLL services, restricted to local call area, will prove to be the poor man's substitute for cellular services. recommended a tariff of just Rs 1.20 for a three minute call.

TRAI, however, had said earlier this month that it would give recommendations on monthly rental within three months but added that these would be cost-based.

Cellular rental in most of the metros and major cities are about Rs 500 a month.

Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) had been reportedly opposing the move to allow mobile services through WLL on the grounds that it would give tremendous advantage to basic operators.

In a bid to provide level playing field, TRAI also recommended that cellular operators be allowed to provide fixed phones on their existing network.

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