The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is ready to issue guidelines that will make Internet surfing cheaper in the next few days.

The move is likely to propose a differential pulse rate for Internet surfing, night-time rates, apart from exploring different methods of offering Internet services like a cable network.

The telecommunications industry had demanded that Trai should bring down the cost of Internet surfing as compared to the rates of a voice call.

At present, both Internet surfing and a voice call is charged at Rs 1.20 per three minutes.

The recent Trai order on basic services tariffs, to be effective from April 1, will decrease the pulse rate from three minutes to two minutes making Internet surfing more expensive.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the Convergence India 2003 seminar, M S Verma, chairman, Trai, said “We are looking at ways and means to make Internet surfing cheaper. The guidelines will be announced shortly.”

Verma said the industry must look at options other then the dial-up access, like the cable network, to offer Internet services that could bring down the costs.

Outlining the challenges before the industry for arriving at a converged regime, Verma said the cost of convergence had to be kept at an affordable level.

He also said the Tariff for services would have to be based on volume, rather than the currently followed principles of usage time.

Other issues, like spectrum management and universal service obligation, will also have to be taken care of while formalising the policy for a convergence regime.

D P S Seth, member, Trai, said India was poised for growth of over 25 per cent in 2002-03 owing to the explosion in wireless communication.

"For the past five years we have been growing at 20 -25 per cent, but this year we are likely to achieve higher growth," Seth said.

The former Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd chairman and Telecom Commission member said the Indian telecommunications network would double in the next three years.

Rajan Mittal, joint managing director, Bharti group, said one could think of a converged licence only after policy and regulatory issues were taken care of.