Nepal earthquake: BSNL, others pitch in with local, free calls

As a massive earthquake rocked Nepal, telecom major Airtel on Saturday announced free calls to Nepal on its network over the next 48 hours, while state-run BSNL and MTNL decided to charge local rates for calls made to the Himalayan nation for the next three days.

“We are deeply saddened by the severe impact that one of the worst earthquakes in Nepal has had on the lives of its people,” Airtel said in a statement.

“As a small gesture during this hour of crisis, we have decided to offer all calls on the Airtel network from India to Nepal completely free of cost for the next 48 hours effective midnight, thus enabling customers across the country get in touch with their families and friends in Nepal,” it added.

The move from Airtel came within couple of hours after public sector firm BSNL announced it will charge all calls made from its network to Nepal as per local rates for the next three days.