From July 1 long-distance charges have been cancelled for telephone users in Ordos, Hohhot, Baotou and Ulaanqab for calls to each other. The move aims to decrease telecommunications costs for residents of the four cities. [Photo/WeChat account of Ordos News]

Long-distance charges were cancelled for telephone users in Ordos, Hohhot, Baotou and Ulaanqab for calls to each other from July 1, officials said. 

The initiative comes in the wake of the decision by the Inner Mongolia Communication Management Authority to decrease the costs of telecommunications for residents of the four cities.

Long-distant telephone calls -- calls between people in different cities -- usually cost more than those made between subscribers in the same city. 

For the nearly 1 million fixed-line telephone users in the four cities, the decision is definitely good news. It means that people from the four cities will spend less on telecommunications charges. 

Officials from the Inner Mongolia Communication Management Authority said that the move aimed to boost the coordinated development of the four cities. 

It followed the recent signing by the four cities of an agreement to jointly develop tourism.