T HE Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (MPTC) has issued a press release announcing new reduced charges for off-peak international telephone calls.

The new charges, which started on Oct 1 and apply only to calls made between midnight Friday and midnight Sunday, will save consumers about 20 percent, according to the press release.

The new charges apply to calls made from both public or private phones to the over 200 countries connected with the IDD service.

During off-peak times the cost of a one minute call to Australia, Singapore and Thailand has been reduced from $3.80 to $3.00, a 27 percent saving.

One minute calls to the US and Europe have been reduced from $4.80 to $3.80, a 26 percent saving; and calls to Vietnam, Laos and Japan have been reduced from $4.00 to $3.20, a 25 percent saving, according to the press release.

The MPTC has plans to hire international operators, available on 22110, to help subscribers who have no access to IDD telephones.