Telecom Regulatory Authority of India may have initiated a process aimed at reducing mobile roaming charges but the two state-run firms -- Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd -- have no plans to reduce the rates further.
Telecom tariffs are not regulated, except in rural areas, roaming charges for cellular services and leased circuits.
At present, in BSNL and MTNL, there is no such proposal for reduction of landline call charges and mobile roaming charges, officials of both the companies said.
"Our roaming tariffs are already lower than those of private operators, so a further reduction will make them below cost," they said.
BSNL and MTNL subscribers can roam into each others' network and the two companies have no roaming agreements with private players.
This gives them an edge as both the networks cover the whole of India, including rural and remote areas, a feat that private players do not match.
Trai, which has initiated a consultation process on review of ceiling tariffs for roaming services, has said the cost of offering services have come down by as much as 67 per cent on a yearly basis and this should be reflected in the tariffs.
The regulator wants to do away with the monthly rental being charged by operators and the premium charge for availing short messaging services while roaming.
BSNL and MTNL's roaming charges range from Rs 1.50-2.40 for a 60-second pulse.
Earlier, Trai had shot down a proposal from BSNL, which had sought to charge a termination rate on all roaming calls.
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