Mahanagar becomes first Indian telco to provide VoIP

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), India’s state-controlled telco, has entered the VoIP market, becoming the first landline carrier in India to provide the service.

The company is offering competitive international long distance rates, some of which are cheaper than those charged by Skype.

The new service, which MTNL provides in partnership with Verso Technologies, Inc and Aksh Optifibre Ltd, is available to 30 million citizens in New Delhi and Mumbai.

Subscribers to MTNL’s broadband connection can now convert their fixed line phone to a VoIP phone using an Analog Telephone Adaptor which is available to rent from MTNL.

A fixed-line phone call from India to the US costs around 14.5 cents per minute, but with the new VoIP service, the cost falls by over 80% to 2.5 cents per minute.