PTCL recently launched three brand new packages ^[1]for its consumers. But where every other telco in the country is slashing its call rates and finding other ways to make money, PTCL has actually increased its rates! While almost brilliant in their design, the new packages can and will inflate your telephone bill quite a bit so be prepared for a hefty setback at the end of this month if you use your PTCL line at all.

Here’s how.

Before, each call used to cost Rs. 2. Even now, each call costs Rs. 2. But before, one call used to be for 5 minutes, before you were charged for another call. They have conveniently taken the call duration down to 2 minutes. Meaning that call charges per minute have increased by almost 150%! from 40 paisa’s per minute to 1 rupee.
And that’s not all. Sometime ago, off peak calls were metered at 1 hour! Meaning that you could talk for an hour for just Rs. 4. This went into effect after 4 PM all the way upto 7 AM. They’ve changed that, and now off peak calls are charged Rs. 2 again… but now only for 4 minutes and only between 9 PM to 8 AM.

This means an increase of 400% in per minute call charges, up from 0.06 paisa’s per minute to 0.25 paisas.

How’s that for a punch in the face? With electricity, wheat, oil and gas prices going up so.. basic telephony now follows suit.

By the way, the much criticized Pakistan package also got a little revamp, with its 5000 minutes monthly limit cut down down to 2500 minutes, essentially making these calls 100% more expensive. (You get half the value in Rs. 200 now than you did before).

Does this mean a new trend will start emerging in the telecom industry? Leading to higher call charges in the name of new packages?

P.S.

All existing users have again been ’shifted’ to the new packages automatically. So much for having a say in how we want to be served…

Cross-Posted from Green & White ^[2]

By Mansoor