The government today slashed the international incoming voice call rate by 65.71 per cent to $0.006 per minute.

The move comes amid repeated calls from the International Gateway (IGW) operators at a time when the sector has seen falling revenues in recent years.

The latest decision by the telecom division also means that IGW operators will share their revenues based on the declared floor price, regardless of how much they actually charge for calls.

A significant portion of international calls are now made through internet-based communication platforms such as WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger, Skype, IMO and WeChat. Since these cost nothing other than the price of the data consumed, operators have seen their earnings take a hit.

Mobile network operators run promotional campaigns for these applications, while people have gradually grown accustomed to using internet-based platforms to stay in touch, according to industry insiders.