Bharti Airtel Raises Mobile Tariffs by Up to 21%, Following Reliance Jio's Move

Bharti Airtel announced a hike of nearly 10 per cent to 21 per cent on mobile tariffs, just a day after Reliance Jio called for an increase in the same. Airtel stated that the new rates will take effect from July 3.

"We have ensured that there is a very modest price increase (less than 70 paise per day) on entry-level plans, in order to eliminate any burden on budget challenged consumers," the Sunil Mittal-led telecom firm said announcing the revision in mobile tariffs.

Bharti Airtel said it has maintained that the mobile Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) needs to be upwards of 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 implemented its first mobile tariff hike in two and a half years, increasing rates by nearly 12-27 per cent.

Alongside these adjustments, Jio has introduced two new apps namely Jio Safe and JioTranslate, which are initially going to be free for all customers.

"The introduction of new plans is a step in the direction of furthering industry innovation and driving sustainable growth through investments in 5G and AI technology," Reliance Jio Infocomm Chairman Akash M Ambani said in the statement.

The price of the lowest recharge is being raised to Rs 19, about 27 per cent higher than Rs 15 for a 1 GB data add-on-pack.

The 75 GB postpaid data plan will now cost Rs 449 against Rs 399.

Jio has also raised the price of the popular Rs 666 unlimited plan with 84-day validity by about 20 per cent to Rs 799.

The mobile tariff hike from mobile operators comes immediately after the 10th spectrum auction, which ended in just two days with a muted response from the industry.

(With inputs from PTI)