Bhopal, Apr 29: Reiterating its commitment to make mobile telephony more affordable, Airtel here today announced an unprecedented tariff reduction on STD and Roaming services for its over 62 million customers.

Announcing the tariff reduction here, Zonal business manager of the Bharti Airtel Limited Amitabh Bhatia, told media persons that the company has reduced its STD rates dramatically to Rs 1.50 per minute from Rs 2.65 earlier, benefiting all customers who make long distance calls. The new tariffs would be effective from April 30, he added.

In the same line, he said, Airtel has also redefined the roaming regime in the country. Airtel customers will now be able to receive a call while roaming at Re 1 per minute, as compared to Rs 1.75 at present. Further, while roaming, customers can make an outgoing local call at Rs 1 per minute and an STD call at Rs 1.50 per minute. This would help create an India without boundaries, making communication with loved ones easier and more affordable, he said.

According to Majoj Kohli, president and CEO of the company, ``Airtel has today taken another step to take forward India's telecom story powered by enhanced affordability. 800 million Indians are now closer than ever before. This initiative will particularly benefit rural customers and underlines, our commitment to the nation's growth'', he added.