Matrix offers 30 min free calling to India from US, Britain

New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) Matrix Cellular, provider of telecommunication solutions for Indians travelling abroad, Monday said it has launched a new service under which customers can avail 30 minutes of free calling time from US and Britain after paying Rs.499 upfront.

"Indian customers are very apprehensive when it comes to using mobile services abroad for the enormous amount of charges involved. Through this plan we want to break that tendency," Arun Batra, chief executive officer, Matrix Cellular told IANS.

Under this plan, people going to the US will have to pay an additional $1 per day apart from the activation charges and those travelling to Britain will be required to pay only the upfront Rs.499. The mode of payment would be through credit card and it will be a post-paid connection.

Currently, using an Indian number on international roaming, a customer has to pay around Rs.140 per minute to make calls from Britain and around Rs.250 a minute from US.

The company has also launched data plans offering 3GB data services per month for $45 for customers going to US and a 10 pound plan offering 200 MB data services for customers going to Britain.

A Matrix SIM card will enable customers to save on their international roaming expenses by making free calls to India, the company said.