TRAI’s come one step nearer to abolishing all charges for calls made within India or am i expecting too much.

Well the news is that TRAI allows ISP’s to offer unrestricted Internet telephony services, a move that will boost competition in the domestic long distance segment and lower STD tariffs. Till before this ISPs were not permitted to provide unrestricted Internet Telephony though they have an IP-based infrastructure.

TRAI says that this move will curtail grey market tendencies. Now, to understand how the rates will come down - the STD service providers would be connected to ISPs through publicInternet wherein the two service providers would have mutual agreement for the same. Now the caller can make calls frompersonal computer to fixed lines/mobile phones.

Currently, voice call can travel between two computers but not to a mobile or a fixed phone.This is expected to open huge channels of revenue for the ISP’s. To enable all this the telecoms engineering centre , a technical dept of telecoms, will work out the number plan for the ISP’s to enable them to offer telephone services.

“Telephone numbers from identified blocks shall be allocated to ISPs, Unified Access Service Providers, Basic Service Providers and Cellular Mobile Service Providers for Internet telephony,” Trai says.

With a view to make Internet telephony secure, Trai says, all ISPs interested to provide unrestricted Internet telephony would install ‘Lawful Interception’ equipment. Trai says due importance has been given for level playing to various service providers, interconnection mechanism, inter connect usage charges, numbering, lawful interception, emergency number dialling, interoperability, quality of service and others.

“Overall licensing framework has been protected while permitting unrestricted Internet telephony to ISP’s”, Trai says.