Earlier, calls originating from NCR regions to Delhi were termed as inter-circle calls and were being charged at the usual long distance charges of a pulse of 15 seconds. This is because Delhi is a separate telecom circle where MTNL is the basic services provider. However, with this proposed relaxation by BSNL, the subscribers in the 30 SDCAs adjoining Delhi would be able to enjoy the benefits of a pulse of 120 seconds for a distance from 50-100 km and a pulse of 30 seconds for a distance between 100-200 km.

The move has come as a result of the interest of the community in these NCR regions in Delhi. According to a BSNL official, since most of the SDCAs fall well within the radius of 100 km, the relaxation is substantial. "The maximum distance in the NCR region is 136 km. Hence, the drop is revenues is expected to be around Rs 65 crore. The increase in traffic is expected to offset this loss by about 25-30 per cent," added the BSNL official.

There are 39 SDCAs or short distance charging areas in the NCR region. The details of the NCR regions have been provided by the NCR Board of the Planning Commission.

According to a BSNL official, the corporation has written to all its chief general managers and has also informed the Regulator, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) of the proposal.

This relaxation, however, is applicable only for calls made from NCR into Delhi and not between these regions. Hence, for example, two separate calls made from Palwal to Delhi and from Alwar to Delhi qualify for concession, but a call from Palwal to Alwar does not benefit from similar concessional tariffs.

For calls originating from Delhi to the NCR regions, the basic services operator in Delhi MTNL is expected to come out with similar relaxation shortly.