New Delhi, Aug 28: Long-distance calls within the country and to outside India especially to the United States will become cheaper from Oct 1. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has completed review of its Telecom Tariff Order (TTO) 99 and has decided to implement the second phase of rebalancing .The stipulated decrease in STD/ISD charges initially proposed to start from April 1, 2000, will now begin from Oct 1, 2000. In STD on a pulse charge of Re 1 the charges between 200 to 500 km have been decreased from Rs 13 to Rs 10. Distances between 500 to 1000 km for the same pulse charge has been slashed from Rs 18 to Rs 15 and above 1,000 km it will be Rs 21 from the exisiting Rs 25. On a pulse charge of Rs 1.20 the 200 to 500 km slab has decreased from Rs 15.60 to Rs 12. Between 500 to 1,000 km from Rs 21.60 to Rs 18 and above 1,000 Km it will come down from Rs 30 to Rs 25.20. Calls made to SAARC and other neighbouring countries on a pulse charge of 80 paise has come down to Rs 16.80 from Rs 20. On a pulse charge of Re 1 it is now down to Rs 21 to Rs 25. While on a pulse charge of Rs 1.20 it has come down to Rs 25.20 from the exisiting Rs 30. While calls made to countries in Africa, Europe, the Gulf, Asia and Oceania on a pulse rate of 80 paise has come to Rs 27.20 from Rs 32.80. On a pulse charge of Re 1 its has come down from Rs 41 to Rs 34, while on Rs 1.20 pulse charge the rates have come down from Rs 40.80 to Rs 49.20. Callers to the United States and other places in the western hemisphere calling on pulse charge of 80 paise will have their rates down to Rs 32.80 from Rs 40.80. On a pulse charge of Re 1 the rates have come down to Rs 41 from the existing Rs 51. On a pulse charge of Rs 1.20 it has come down to Rs 49.20 from the existing Rs 61.20. The review undertaken by the authority, which it had expected to complete in four months, could be completed by extending the period by one month due to delayed receipt of the required information from the concerned operators. This shows that in the first year of tariff rebalancing i.e. 1999-2000, the principle incumbent DTS was able to achieve the average increase in the number of connections i.e. Direct Exchange Lines (DELs) projected in the TTO 99, though the increase in the metered call units (MCUs) was somewhat lower than envisaged. — UNI