Business: Bharti Airtel has announced a hike in mobile tariff by nearly 10 per cent to 21 per cent. The announcement comes just a day after Reliance Jio called for a tariff hike. Airtel said the new rates will come into effect from July 3. Announcing the mobile tariff revision, the Sunil Mittal-led telecom company said, “We have ensured that the price increase on entry-level plans is very nominal (less than 70 paise per day) so that there is no burden on budget-challenged consumers.” Bharti Airtel said it has ensured that mobile average revenue per user (ARPU) should be above Rs 300 to enable a financially healthy business model for telcos in India. This comes after Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio also called for a rate hike.
The telecom operator has implemented its first mobile tariff hike in two-and-a-half years, raising rates by about 12-27 per cent. “The introduction of the new plan is a step towards driving innovation in the industry and fostering sustainable growth through investments in 5G and AI technologies,” Reliance Jio Infocomm Chairman Akash M Ambani said in the statement. The price of the lowest recharge is being increased to Rs 19, up nearly 27 per cent from Rs 15 for the 1GB data add-on-pack. The 75GB postpaid data plan will now cost Rs 449 instead of Rs 399. Jio has also raised the price of its popular Rs 666 unlimited plan with 84-day validity by nearly 20 per cent to Rs 799. Mobile operators have raised mobile tariffs soon after the 10th spectrum auction, which ended in just two days with little response from the industry.
