NEWS RELEASE

ICTA issues determination to mobile operators to lower charges on calls from a mobile to a fixed telephone by at least 87 cents per minute.

Mobile phone subscribers will no doubt welcome the latest decision of the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA). The ICTA has issued a determination to mobile phone operators to lower their tariffs on calls from a mobile to a fixed telephone by at least 87 cents per minute. From tomorrow it will now cost an Emtel or Orange customer using a prepaid card just Rs3.48 per call per minute instead of Rs4.35.

The Authority has also approved revised tariffs for International Direct Dialling (IDD) calls, Internet Telephony Services (ITS) and services on the Mauritian mainland and interisland.

Mauritius Telecom, City Call operating under the Outre Mer Telecom brand, Emtel, Mahanagar Telephone Mauritius Ltd (MTML) and Hotlink which uses the brand name of Yello submitted their proposed lowered tariffs after the Authority issued a Directive on 30 April 2008 for the setting of new rates for interconnection on fixed and mobile networks.

The Authority examined the tariff structure proposals from the operators before approving the new tariff grid which represent a fall of up to 46% compared with the current tariffs.

The latest move by the Authority will ensure that the tariff reduction will directly benefit the Mauritian consumer.

Approval has been given for a reduction of 5-30% on Internet Telephony charges for Emtel; a reduction of 7-33% on international calls for MTML and a 1-46% reduction on international calls for Hotlink.

The new approved tariffs for international calls for City Call now ranges from Rs5.00 to Rs6.00 per minute for the major destinations, a 17- 29 % fall on existing tariffs.

Mauritius Telecom submitted a uniform tariff structure for inter island calls made from fixed phones in Rodrigues to any fixed and/or mobile networks in Mauritius.

The cost of an IDD call offered by MTML to a number of popular destinations including China, Canada and the United States goes to just Rs3.60 per minute, a first in the history of telecommunication services in Mauritius.

3 June 2008