Comparison of Calling Plans to India
There are several options available to choose from when it comes to picking a calling plan to call India from abroad. One can find dozens of calling cards claiming to offer a good deal, yet short-changing the user of minutes of call time. Also, the clarity of the line is always suspect with calling cards. This calls for a reason to check out quality telcos and the services they offer. We have compared the best service providers here, based on charges and service availability.
Why are calling plans to India so expensive?
Calling plans to India are comparatively expensive. Especially, if one considers the rates for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The reason for this is that all service providers serving India have to pay a comparatively higher 'termination charge'. Termination charge, currently capped at 30 paise/minute, is what telcos pay for terminating (or landing) calls on other telcos' networks. Telecoms Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is currently considering a move to bring the termination charge cap lower.
| Calling plans to India (rate per minute) | ||||||||
| US | UK | Australia | Canada | Hong Kong | Malaysia | New Zealand | Singapore | |
| Airtel 'Call Home' Mobile: Land-line: |
6¢†/5.5¢‡ 7¢†/6.5¢‡ |
3.99p†/2.99p‡ 4.49p†/3.49p‡ |
NA |
7.99¢†/5.99¢‡ 8.99¢†/6.99¢‡ |
NA |
NA |
NA |
8.9¢/6.9¢ 9.9¢†/7.9¢‡ |
| Tata 'True Roots' | 6.9¢ | 4p | NA | 6.9¢ | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Reliance 'Call India' Rel network: Other: |
5.9¢†/5.9¢‡ 6.9¢†/5.9¢‡ |
3p†/3p‡ 3.9p†/3p‡ |
9.9¢†/7.9¢‡ |
5.9¢†/5.9¢‡ 6.9¢†/5.9¢‡ |
69.9¢† 69.9¢† |
29.9sens† 29.9sens† |
11.9¢†/9.9¢‡ |
9.9¢†/8.9¢‡ |
|
† Toll-free access. ‡ Local/land-line access. |
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