New Delhi: Are mobile services going to get more expensive soon?
According to reports, private telecom companies – Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio, Sunil Mittal’s Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (Vi) – are all planning a significant increase in their tariff plans in the near future.
According to DNA, recharge plans are expected to get more expensive by November-December 2025. The proposed tariff increase is part of a broader strategy by private telecom companies to boost revenue, which will allow them to invest further in their network infrastructure, particularly for 5G services, sources have told DNA.
“Industry insiders indicate that several factors could be contributing to the tariff hike by telecom providers, including the need to extend their 5G network across more regions and the substantial costs associated with acquiring spectrum and enhancing their current network infrastructure,” it has been stated.
Both Jio and Airtel had increased their mobile tariffs in mid-2024. This has led to a large number of users switching to the state-owned telecom provider, BSNL. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) data claims that these companies collectively lost almost 10 million subscribers in September 2024.
Jio suffered the most with a loss of 7.9 million users, while Airtel lost 1.4 million. Vi saw a decrease of 1.5 million customers. BSNL, which has recently seen a revival became the primary beneficiary, with more than 5.5 million subscribers transferring their numbers between July and October 2024.
