Having an online meeting? Voice call or other charges!

June 9, 2020 | 14:51:33

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Due to the global impact of Coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the practice of people doing many things online through the internet has increased. One of them is online meeting and conferencing through various apps.

Nowadays, the use of online classes, online meetings and video conferencing for school and campus students has increased widely, whether it is online meetings, video calls in groups with relatives, family members, relatives at home or abroad.

There are many apps and platforms available on the Internet for online meetings. Meetings or conferences can be held from most of the platforms using the internet without any charge other than the internet. However, online meetings from some premium apps or software may incur additional charges.

Before using the online conferencing platform for your meetings or conversations, you need to look closely at the terms of the respective apps or platforms. Dialing international numbers for meetings or dialing international numbers from the respective service provider’s customer service center may incur voice call charges or other charges.

Recently, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), India’s telecom regulator, said caution should be exercised when using online meeting platforms, saying customers’ voice service bills could rise unexpectedly. According to him, on such platforms, customers have been complaining about the charges for voice calls when they unknowingly call international numbers.

In Nepal too, the use of such online meeting platforms for various purposes is on the rise. In the current situation, mobile customers and users need to understand the charges related to the numbers and helplines associated with such platforms. Otherwise, there is a risk that in the case of prepaid customers, the balance from mobile may decrease and in case of postpaid, more bills may come.

Telecom company Ncell has also asked its customers to be vigilant during the increasing trend of online meetings. The company has advised its customers to be aware of this from their Facebook page and to check the terms and conditions while using such platforms.

Since such online meeting platforms and service providers’ respective workplaces and customer service centers are located abroad, their numbers are premium or international. Of course, calling such numbers for information, knowingly or unknowingly, may incur higher charges for calling a premium number or international calls.