How will a drop in interconnection charges affect telcos?
Telecom regulator TRAI has cut the Interconnection Usage Charges (IUC) to 6 paise per minute from 14 paise, effective October 1. According to industry estimates, Bharti Airtel would lose around â¹2,000 crore a year from the lower IUC, whereas Vodafone and Idea Cellular, would lose â¹1,500 crore and â¹1,200 crore, respectively. Further, Jio will annually save around â¹5,000 crore.