BEIJING, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- As China's largest mobile operator kicks off caller-pay schemes in Beijing for the first time on Thursday, subscribers are rubbing their hands in anticipation of free incoming calls.

China Mobile announced a week ago that Beijing subscribers who buy monthly prepaid fee packages available as of Thursday will no longer have to pay to receive calls.

China Unicom, the country's second largest mobile operator, also promised its Beijing subscribers cheaper caller-pay schemes. The two mobile giants rushed to promote caller-pay schemes in the southern economic powerhouse Guangdong Province and in western metropolis Xi'an in the past week.

Europe, India and Japan have had caller-pay policies for years, but China has allowed mobile companies to charge both callers and receivers. When calculated in terms of income levels, calls cost more in China than they do in other two-way charging countries like the United States.

The two-way charging mechanism, high monthly rental charges and high roaming fees have all drawn complaints from Chinese consumers.

"China needs to make a bigger effort to protect consumers' interests, because they have certainly taken a back seat in recent years," said Chen Jinqiao, a telecom expert in Beijing.

Analysts say the government's original aim was to fund the development of the telecom industry and avoid diluting state-owned assets.

Regulators are at last beginning to favor the interests of ordinary consumers. "Things are moving," said Chen.

Without changing the number or type of calls they make, caller-pay will save each subscriber 20 to 30 percent of their mobile fees, said Chen.