KATHMANDU: Festive offers are now not limited only to consumer commodities. Even telecom service providers are granting festival discounts and launching new services. Major telecom service providers Nepal Telecom, Mero Mobile, United Telecom Ltd (UTL) and Nepal Satellite Telecom (NST) Ltd are set to penetrate the market from mid-October and the competition among them is getting tougher. Either cutting off charges during festivals or launching new consumer services and schemes, telecom service providers here into cut-throat competition. NT has reduced its SMS rates by half for Dashain-Tihar season. An SMS will cost Rs 0.62 including all taxes. The reduction will be valid only for GSM both pre-paid, post paid and CDMA services starting from September 24 to October 7. However, the charges for SMS to other service providers’ phone numbers will remain the same. The regular charges on NT’s SMS stands at Rs 1 per SMS excluding taxes. Meanwhile, starting from September 14 Spice Nepal Pvt Ltd (SNPL) has its new promotion campaign — Mero Circle Service, ‘Circle Banaunus Call ma Ramaunus’. Under the scheme, Mero mobile subscribers can add three of their favourite Mero mobile numbers of friends and family members and talk at Rs 0.99 per minute. There will be no activation and service charge for adding the three favourite numbers. Along with it, starting from September 17 the latest Nepali, Bollywood and Hollywood PRBT will be available on http://www.prbt.spicenepal.com and IVR - 9208. According to SNPL, the new tariff for latest PRBT content for the entire pre-paid and post-paid subscriber will be effective from September 17. The PRBT monthly charge will be Rs 10 excluding tax and cost per PRBT tone activation will be Rs 10 excluding taxes, while the validity of the PRBT will be 30 days. However, regarding the old PRBT content, all old PRBT will be provided free of charge for all existing as well as new PRBT subscribers from September 17 to October 17 and all PRBT made available free of charge will be deleted in October. Meanwhile, United Telecom Ltd (UTL) is busy in service expansion for customer addition. UTL recently has expanded its service to 30 different places and plans to finish its service expansion all over Nepal after Dashain. “ “We are moving to a new place per day as service extension is our primary goal. Along with service expansion we will plan for schemes for customers,” said UTL general manager Madan Singh. Starting from August 13, UTL has launched Rs 3 per minute call to India excluding taxes.