India Ends Fees Paid to Bharat Sanchar on Local Calls

India's Telecom Regulatory Authority has decided to scrap fees paid by private telephone operators to state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam on calls within the country.

Fees private carriers pay in the form of so-called “access deficit” charges on international calls will also be cut by half, the regulator said in an e-mailed statement. The revisions will go into effect from April, it said.

“We welcome the move,” Vodafone Group Plc's local unit, which is India's third-largest wireless operator, said in an e- mailed statement. “We are committed to passing on the benefit to our customers in an equitable manner and will announce it shortly.”