Delhi : India’s largest mobile service operators, Reliance Jio, hiked its rates to 20% on Sunday. Jio has joined its rival industry Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel which already went on hike earlier last week. Jio’s new rates will come into effect from December 1.
In a press release, the telecom announced new unlimited plans. “Upholding the promise of providing the best quality service at the lowest price globally, Jio customers will continue to be the biggest beneficiaries,” it said.
Though companies, especially Bharti Airtel and Vi, had long been seeking for a price revision, they were reluctant to take the first step for the fear of losing customers. Airtel bit the bullet last Monday, and Vi quickly followed suit.
The tariff hikes, which come two months after the telecom reforms package, are being seen as important steps towards improving the financial sustainability of the sector. These companies have indicated that the average revenue per user (ARPU) needs to go up to Rs 200 initially and then to Rs 300 to improve their financial health.
Airtel currently has the highest ARPU among the telecom companies. In the second quarter of FY22, it reported an ARPU of Rs 153. Jio and Vi reported ARPUs of Rs 143.6 and Rs 109, respectively.
Following the hike, the price of Reliance Jio’s lowest priced will cost Rs 155 from an earlier Rs 129. The plan offers 2GB data for a month along with unlimited voice and 300 SMS.
Jio has also increased the price of its plans with a longer duration as well The 84-day plan starting at Rs 329 will cost Rs 395 from now with 6GB data in total, while the 555 plan will now cost Rs 100 more at Rs 666. The plan will continue to offer 1.5GB of data per day for customers.
Those who recharge their JioPhone with the Rs 75 should note that this pack will soon cost Rs 91. The latest prepaid recharge plan from Jio includes 50 SMS, unlimited voice calls, and 3GB of total data.
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