ISLAMABAD, April 17: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday announced reduction in charges for PTCL subscribers calling mobile phones.

The charges have been reduced from Rs3.68 to Rs3.22. The new rates will be effective from May 1 and applicable for a period of two years, the PTA chairman, Maj-Gen (Rtd) Shahzada Alam Malik, said.

Speaking at a press conference, the PTA chairman said the 15 per cent reduction had been announced under the Calling Party Pays regime introduced last year by the PTA to facilitate subscribers.

He said the PTA had been working with the PTCL and mobile companies since November last year in this respect.

The chairman further informed that mobile companies had reduced their operator share from Rs2.20 per minute to Rs2 per minute.

Similarly, he said, the PTCL had also reduced the extra cost of Re1 per minute for preparation and collection of bills as its share to Rs0.80 per minute.

Likewise, the additional CED of Rs0.48 charged at the rate of 15 per cent per minute has been reduced to Rs0.42 per minute.

Now the total subscribed rate of Rs3.22 per minute would include Rs2 per minute for mobile companies, Rs0.80 per minute for the PTCL and Rs0.42 per minute as additional CED.

He further announced reduction in airtime ceiling fixed by the PTA from Rs6.25 per minute to Rs5.75 per minute.

Meanwhile, the PTCL has earned net profit of Rs8.501 billion after provision of income tax for the six months, ending December 31, 2001. This profit as compared to Rs7.157 billion in the same period last year has been showing an increase of 18.8 per cent, said a PTCL official.

He said due to better control over financial expenses and reduced exchange losses, the profit before tax for the same period was Rs13.565 billion, showing an increase of 23.2 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last year.—APP