Airtel demands: Minimum monthly mobile recharge should be up to ₹350

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel has signaled an impending hike in mobile recharge tariffs. The company has unexpectedly indicated that its mobile plans may become more expensive, asserting that a price increase has long been overdue. In a statement, the head of Airtel noted that the operational costs for mobile service providers are rising daily; expenses related to infrastructure and other essential components have increased, making it more costly for the company to deliver its services. In this context, Airtel has suggested a minimum recharge amount of Rs 350. Let’s examine the implications of this statement—could Airtel’s mobile recharge plans soon become more expensive?
Airtel has recommended setting the minimum price for mobile recharge plans at Rs 350. The country’s second-largest telecom operator is advocating for a floor price of Rs 350 for mobile recharges. In a statement, the company’s chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal, explained that the costs of network infrastructure are steadily climbing. Furthermore, rising expenses across various other sectors are making it increasingly difficult for telecom companies to maintain their profit margins.
He emphasized that telecom operators need to make further investments, and that continuing to provide services at current price points is becoming unsustainable for the company. In a statement to PTI, Mittal remarked, “I used to say that the right price point was Rs 300 (in terms of Average Revenue Per User, or ARPU), but that was 10 years ago. We are all now facing significant inflationary pressures—fuel prices have risen, electricity costs have gone up, employee-related expenses have increased, and administrative costs have also climbed.” “Everything has become expensive.”
Although Airtel has not explicitly stated that it intends to raise prices—nor has it indicated when such an increase might occur—the chairman’s remarks strongly suggest that the company’s recharge plans could soon be revised. Recently, Airtel increased the tariffs for all its available postpaid plans by ₹50.