Now onwards Reliance Jio customers will have to pay 6 paise for outgoing calls to other networks like Airtel and Vodafone.

The debate on IUC (Interconnect Usage Charge) in the telecom industry is being continued for a while.

IUC is the amount paid by a telecom operator to the other telecom operator for outgoing calls made by a customer to a subscriber of another network.

The telecom operators like Airtel and Vodafone alleged that Jio had apparently reduced the ring time for outgoing calls so that the customers who received the missed calls will call back.

Thus, Jio is getting IUC tariffs. In this context, Airtel also reduced the ring time for outgoing calls to 20 seconds.

While the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is dealing with the case, Reliance Jio has already taken a move to offset the losses.

It has announced that it would charge an IUC charge on all outgoing calls to other networks. The current IUC charge prescribed by TRAI is 6 paise per minute and Jio customers will have to pay these expenses when they call to subscribers of other telecom operators.

Jio announced some IUC plans for its customers to purchase to make calls to other networks. Jio is offering extra data with these plans.

The new Jio rules have been implemented from Wednesday.

For instance, if you are a Jio customer and are calling to a subscriber of another network, then you will be charged 6 paise per minute from the time you keep ringing the other person.

Though the calls are free, you will have to pay the prescribed IUC charge. The postpaid customers will be sent the charges in the bill.

Jio claims that the other telecom operators charge their customers for calls while Jio offers free calls on its network, hence it is bearing losses due to IUC charge paid to other networks.

The IUC charges will be applicable until zero IUC is implemented by TRAI which Jio expects will be happening by early 2020.

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