According to XDA, India’s call and mobile data costs dropped dramatically after Reliance Jio entered the telecom business in 2016. Since then, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, and Bharti Airtel, India’s three leading telecom companies, have tried to entice more consumers by offering lower pricing.
However, all three major operators have lately announced tariff increases of up to 25%.
According to a recent report by Mint, Bharti Airtel hiked its entry-level voice pricing plans by roughly 25% to INR 99 on Monday and boosted the tariffs for most unlimited voice packages by 20%. Airtel hopes to raise its average revenue per user (ARPU) to INR 200 and eventually INR 300 due to this adjustment to “give a reasonable return on capital and so develop a financially healthy business model.” On November 26, Airtel’s new tariff plan will take effect.
Vodafone’s Idea was quick to follow suit. According to ET Telecom, Vodafone Idea has hiked the price of its entry-level tariff plans by 25% as of November 25. Vodafone Idea stated in a statement that the price hike will “kick-start the process of ARPU improvement and help address the industry’s financial difficulties.”
Meanwhile, Reliance Jio said that starting December 1, it will increase its pricing by up to 21%. The firm has boosted its INR 75 basic price plan to INR 91, INR 9 less than Vodafone Idea and Airtel’s comparable offerings. The company’s other plans have seen similar price spikes, but they are still less expensive than the other two telecom behemoths.
Reliance Jio’s new tariff options are expected to go live on December 1 and will be offered through all of the company’s existing shops and platforms.