Users of popular internet applications, such as Skype, WhatsApp or Viber, may soon be able to make voice calls to landlines.
Following a clearance from the inter-ministerial panel of the government, subscribers will be able to terminate calls on the landline or mobile networks of any service provider – ranging from MTNL or BSNL’s fixed lines to the mobile numbers on Airtel, Vodafone or Idea Cellular, according to a Times of India report.
“The move has been cleared by the inter-ministerial telecom commission and groundwork to get it going will start soon,” the report said.
The decision to allow inter-connect agreements between ISPs and telecom operators will be a shot in the arm for Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio Infocomm, which will soon begin services across the country, the report said.
Trai officials have indicated that they will set inter-connection charges for internet calls after the government allows amendments to the Unified Licence framework.