As per the sector regulator Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the IUC regime comes to an end on January 1, 2021. It has been replaced by the zero-IUC regime, which is being termed as the ‘Bill and Keep regime’.
- The IUC (Interconnect Usage Charge) is a charge that is paid by a telco to another operator when its customers make voice calls to subscribers of that network, and these charges stood at 6 paise per minute.
- The zero-IUC regime was previously slated to come into effect from January 2020, but last year the telecom regulator deferred its implementation till January 1, 2021.
- The new regime, where zero termination rate is payable, is known as bill and keep.
- Reliance Jio, the only operator which charged its customers for termination of off-net calls or calls made to another network like Bharti Airtel or Vodafone Idea, said it would no longer levy this charge.
(Source: The Hindu and Financial Express)
