DoT to consult TRAI on SMS rate hike

New Delhi, Aug 14 (UNI) A day after telecom operators across the country hiked SMS tariffs, the Department of Telecom (DoT) is likely to consult Telecom Regulatory Authority of India soon.

The issue assumes signifinace when Telecom MInister A Raja had recently said that he would favour a lower tariff regime in the near future.

All GSM operators last evening hiked SMS charges by a flat 20 per cent to Rs 1.20 per message. This comes just days after Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar increased local call charges within their networks by 20 per cent to Rs 1.20 per minute for prepaid customers from Re 1 per minute.

Just prior to that, most private GSM players also hiked STD tariffs by over 10 per cent for prepaid users.

UNI