Bharti Airtel on Sunday launched in the UK its virtual calling card service – Airtel CallHome – helping 1.6 million NRIs and students to call India at a cheaper rate of just 3.5 pence a minute.

Subscribers in the UK will now be able to call India at 3.5 pence per minute through toll access and 4.5 pence per minute through toll free access. The same rates will apply to all calls to India, irrespective of service provider, the company said in a release here.

As a part of its launch offer, Airtel is offering 25 minutes of free talk time trial to all subscribers to experience the service quality.

Subscribers will also get 50 per cent extra talk time over and above what is purchased, bringing effective call rates down to 2.3 pence per minute.

Additionally, in case a subscriber refers someone under the Refer-a-Friend programme, he/she will get 100 minutes of free talk-time, for each successful referral.

"We are extremely proud to announce the launch of the Airtel CallHome service in the UK. The UK has one of the largest NRI populations in the world," said Mr David Nishball, President, Enterprise Services, Bharti Airtel Ltd.

"Our aim is to serve this Indian community better by changing the rules of the game and delivering a greater value for money service with superior call quality and world class service standards," Nishball added.