World Phone Internet Services Pvt Ltd, a leading ISP, on Thursday launched international pre-paid Internet calling card through which a user can call the United States at Rs 1.60 per minute.

This could be the lowest rate to the US in the Internet telephony market, as currently Net telephony operators like Net4India and Sify charge Rs 4 per minute to the US.

The VoIP-based card -- World Phone Premium -- is available in denominations of Rs 100, Rs 250, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, and with the card a user can make international calls to more than 200 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada and Singapore, Aditya Ahluwalia, Chairman, World Phone Internet Services, said.

With the US being the largest market for ISD calls from India, the new rates may set a price war in the highly sensitive Internet telephony market.

WPISPL has launched the card in technological tie-up with US-based VoIP service provider Go2Call.

Internet telephony has 2.5 per cent of the total ILD market in India, Ahluwalia said.

Other tariffs include Rs 1.70 per minute to Canada, Rs 2 per minute to Britain and Germany, Rs 2.20 per minute to France, Rs 2.50 per minute to Australia and Singapore, Rs 2.75 per minute to New Zealand and Italy.

In Asia, the premium card will enable a user to make an Internet telephony call to China and Japan at Rs 3.50 per minute.

A call to Saudi Arabia will cost Rs 8 a minute.

The company is eyeing a turnover of Rs 20 crore (Rs 200 million) in the current year and looking at Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) sales from the selling of this card per month, Ahluwalia said.

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