MTNL to Not Hike Tariffs

The mobile market in India and that of the mobile service providers is booming. Leaving aside bare figures, this can be concluded even by looking at the sheer number of people who own a mobile phone today, along with the number of those who provide services for it. One of the oldest and popular service providers in this space has been MTNL (Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited). However, it is being learnt that unlike the others in the space, who’re toying with the idea of tariff hikes (some have already gone ahead) in their respective circles, MTNL will not make any changes in its tariff rates. Additionally, MTNL claims to have rolled out a couple of new services for its subscribers.

Unlike the rest?

Some of them are:

• Free SIM cards: New prepaid customers are being offered free SIM cards. Additionally, MTNL states that subscribers can recharge their FRCs, any of the 4 available. These come with plans like - all calls at 50 paisa per minute, any call at 1 paisa per second, local MTNL network call at half a paisa per second. 
• HOME ZONE Plan: Beginning with Faridabad for now, MTNL calls this as one of its innovative plans. According to this, any user calling from his home zone will have reduced tariffs, which translates to 1 paisa per four seconds on their network. 
• Data Plans: MTNL states that it has introduced a new, daily data plan for its data users for Rs. 20, whereby they’ll give out 250 MB worth data at no cost, and with a validity of a day. Subsequently, MTNL claims to have launched, what it calls its cheapest unlimited data plan at Rs. 4,500 for a period of six months, which roughly brings it to Rs. 750 per month, making it a competitive data plan. 
• Friends and Family Plan: Users can include the numbers of any of their five other contacts at Rs. 50, thereby reducing their tariffs upto Rs. 10 per minute. Applicable to users availing all plans, this feature can be activated either through IVR, or by a request to the customer care by dialing 1503.
• Independence Day Special: Ushering in India's 64th Independence Day, on the 15th of August, 2011, MTNL plans to offer limited period edition top-up coupons for Rs. 64 and Rs.1,508, with a talk time of Rs. 64 and Rs.1,947, respectively. 
• Low ISD tariffs: MTNL claims to have reduced their ISD rates to as much as six countries, drastically bringing down the tariffs to a rupee per minute.
• Additional VAS services: Adding to the list of VAS services, MTNL introduces a list of soon to be introduced plans, which include: 

• PERCEPT KNORIGIN – Video Calling Content
• MOBILE COUPONING - 2ergo India Private Ltd
• DIGIVIvE
• INDIATIMES
• TECHZONE
• Phone Data Secure - One India Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
• RADIUS – MOBILE COMICS
• SPICE
• TALNA
• STAR

It will also be rolling out two new services this month. These include: 

• Mobile Talkies from SHEMAROO
• Mobile Web Builder from MOBILE AKMIN