TELECOM PRICING IN INDIA: A STUDY ON TARIFF PACKAGES AND CALLING OPTIONS OF BSNL

The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has introduced a new tariff package for the urban and rural subscribers from May 1, 2003. The new tariff has made revolutionary changes in the tariff structure by providing various options for different categories of subscribers. The new tariff has tried to rationalize the telecom tariff structure by introducing various options like Economy, Special and Super under Alternate Packages, in addition to a general category. This paper analyzes the various options available for select categories of urban and rural subscribers under the new tariff package and shows that the Alternative Packages, in the real economic sense, only provide limited options to the subscribers.