Airtel, Vi could hike tariffs of telecom plans in August, time to loosen your purse strings?

New Delhi: Airtel and Vodafone Idea appear all set to increase the prices of their telecom plans in a bid to improve their financial position in India’s cut-throat telecom sector. 

Early this month, Airtel increased the prices of its family and corporate postpaid plans by as much as 30%, signalling that the telecom firm isn’t afraid of the consequences of the price hike. 

The telecom giant has also increased the price of its cheapest monthly pre-paid plan by 60% to Rs 79 from Rs 49. Airtel has revised the rates of a few other mobile plans to improve its average revenue per user (ARPU), a key indicator determining the profitability of a telecom firm. 

At present, corporate customers account for 60% of postpaid users for Bharti Airtel. The increase in the tariffs will fuel the revenues of the telecom firm. 

Meanwhile, Airtel’s rival firm Vodafone Idea (Vi) is planning to hike the tariffs of its prepaid plans, according to a report by News18. The telecom company has already increased the tariffs of its cheapest monthly plan from Rs 49 to Rs 79 in  Maharashtra and Gujarat circles. 

Customers recharging with a Rs 49 voucher now get a 14-day validity instead of the 28-day validity. The joint venture between Vodafone and Idea may soon increase the tariffs in other circles as well. Also Read: India’s eight core industries’ June production grew at around 9%

Moreover, following in the footsteps of Airtel, Vi has also reduced the data benefits with its postpaid plans for its corporate customers. Also Read: You can now control your Honda City with ‘Ok Google’ voice commands