Country's leading telecom services provider Bharti Airtel leadingtoday launched in Singapore its virtual calling

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card service -- Airtel CallHome -- helping four lakh NRIs and students to call India at 10.5 Singapore cents per minute.

Subscribers based in Singapore wouldbe able to call India at 10.5 Singapore cents per minute on a toll-free access number, Airtel said in a statement.

Under the scheme, Airtel would give 70 per cent extra talk-time over and above what is purchased for a promotional period, bringing effective call rates down to 6.2 cents a minute.

As part of its launch offer, Airtel would give a free talk-time trial of 20 minutes for users to experience a superior call quality. The launch which comes soon after a successful UK entry, aims to bring Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and students in Singapore closer to their friends and families in India.

"This launch is another step in our strategy to offer the large Indian population across the world a smart way to connect with friends and family back in India," Bharti Airtel President Enterprise Services David Nishball said.

According to industry estimates, the total outgoing traffic to India from Singapore is around 60 million minutes per month of which 36 million minutes is through calling cards.

Singapore is the third country where the Airtel CallHome service is being launched. It was launched in the US at the end of 2006 and in the UK last month.