Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea have decided to charge more from consumers this week. The three biggest telecom companies in India made the announcement last week.
Reliance Jio was the first to announce the tariff hike, followed by Airtel and then Vodafone Idea. The price hike across plans is significant, up to 30 per cent for a few plans.
The new and revised Reliance Jio and Airtel prepaid and postpaid plans will go live on July 3. However, Vodafone Idea subscribers will witness the price hike from July 4.
Reliance Jio’s prices will increase by 12-25 per cent. For instance, the Rs 239 monthly plan with 1.5GB daily data will now cost Rs 299, representing a 25 per cent increase. Airtel’s prices will rise by 11-21 per cent, and Vodafone Idea will raise its tariffs by 10-21 per cent.
Postpaid users can’t avoid the price hike immediately since billing happens at the end of the month. However, you can review your data usage and possibly switch to a lower plan for the next billing cycle.
To save money, Jio and Airtel users can recharge with annual plans before the price hike. Both companies have seen many users buying new data packs ahead of the hike. Jio has also removed some popular plans that offer unlimited 5G data.
Telecom companies say the price hikes are necessary to maintain profit margins and invest in new technologies like 5G. Airtel mentioned that the new prices will help improve quality and coverage. Jio’s increases are part of its plan to make money from 5G services and increase average revenue per user (ARPU).
Many consumers are unhappy about the price hikes, but companies argue that these changes are needed for better service in the long run. Analysts expect the price hikes to increase annual spending on telecom services by up to Rs 47,500 crore.
