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 ₹2,000 crore a year from the lower IUC, whereas Vodafone and Idea Cellular, would lose ₹1,500 crore and ₹1,200 crore, respectively. Further, Jio will annually save around ₹5,000 crore.