The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is believed to have put on hold wireless in local loop and cellular tariffs, which were not compliant with inter-connect usage charge regime.

According to TRAI sources, WLL and cellular tariffs, which were reported to the telecom regulator and were found non-compliant with the IUC regime -- which came into effect from Thursday -- have been put on hold after preliminary examination.

The names of the operators, whose tariffs were found non-compliant, were not immediately known.

TRAI Chairman Pradip Baijal could not be contacted for comments.

All tariffs IUC-compliant: Reliance

Meanwhile, Amit Khanna, Reliance Entertainment Ltd chairman, responding to the TRAI move, told rediff.com in Mumbai: "All the tariff plans submitted to TRAI are IUC-compliant and all future tariff plans to be submitted to the telecom regulator will also be compliant."

"However, the telecom authority has the right to raise any issues it might have over the tariff plans announced by any of the WLL or cellular operators."

'Tata Tele tariffs not put on hold by TRAI'

Tata Teleservices on Thursday said its wireless telephone tariffs have not been put on hold by the telecom regulator TRAI.

"As far as information available to us, TRAI has not intervened in our tariffs as to date," Tata Teleservices chief officer (corporate affairs) Ashok Sud said in a brief press statement in New Delhi.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Ltd is believed to have put on hold wireless in local loop and cellular tariffs which were not compliant with the inter-connect usage charge regime.

Tata Teleservices provides CDMA technology-based telephony services.

The names of the operators, whose tariffs were found non-compliant with IUC were not immediately known.

The WLL tariffs

Reliance Infocomm and Tata Teleservices had on Wednesday announced new tariffs for their wireless in local loop services. The new rates, however, were subject to approval from TRAI.

Reliance Infocomm launched its mobile phone service commercially on Wednesday, with the new inter-connect user charge regime coming into effect from Thursday.

Reliance IndiaMobile plan said that calls to any WLL network will be 40 paise per minute for the first 400 minutes within a 50 km range.

Above 400 minutes and 50 km, the charges will be Rs 1.90 per minute. Reliance IndiaMobile calls to any cell network will cost Rs 1.20 per minute up to 50 km, and Rs 1.90 above 50 km.

The new tariffs have marginally increased the cost of short-distance calls and cut the cost of long-distance calls. Reliance said it will offer a 40 paise per minute rate for all Reliance-to-Reliance long-distance calls, subject to TRAI approval.

Reliance also said that it will charge only 40 paise per minute for long-distance calls to other WLL networks too, despite imposition of interconnect charges.

Tata Teleservices announced four plans for its limited mobility services, and six for its fixed line services. Tata Teleservices said it will offer STD calls from its WLL phones to any other WLL service for 55 paise per minute.

On most of its WLL tariff plans, subscribers can make free local and STD calls for the first 400 minutes to all other WLL services.

Additional inputs: PTI