Airtel trolls Jio saying its outgoing calls continue to be free

If you are an Airtel user, then you would not be required to shell out 6 paise per second for every outgoing call you make to non-Airtel networks, including that of Reliance Jio. The incumbent telco has made it clear that its subscribers could rest assured that free calls would truly be free calls. For users on unlimited calling plans, outgoing calls would be unlimited, as per Airtel. This means that there would be no charges, such as Interconnect Usage Charge (IUC) levied on subscribers.  

Is Airtel not levying IUC on customers?

Airtel has also seemingly trolled Reliance Jio’s recent announcement of levying 6 paise per minute as IUC for its subscribers making calls to non-Jio networks. This takes away the “truly unlimited” nature for outgoing calls for Jio customers. Jio customers are also required to make custom-IUC recharges which start from Rs 10 and promise free outgoing minutes along with additional 4G data. Check out Jio’s development, here. Also, check out below varied reactions to Airtel’s tweet announcing that the telco would still continue to offer purely free-unlimited voice calls to other networks as well. 

Finally, AIrtel even issued a statement recently. "One of our competitors has imposed a rate of 6 paise for all off-net calls made to other operators to cover the termination charge of IUC (Interconnect Usage Charge). They have gone on to suggest that TRAI has re-opened this issue.,” stated the telco. “Clearly, this off-net charge being levied, therefore, is to force IUC to be brought down despite the heavy burden it puts in the receiving network. We are grateful that this very timely consultation paper to reassess IUC has been issued By TRAI." it added. 

Also Read: After Jio’s new 6 Paise IUC Rule, “India With Jio” Trends On Twitter