Airtel, Vodafone To Raise Mobile Services Rates Next Month

Airtel and Vodafone have announced that they will be increasing their tariffs starting December 1. This is the first price hike in several years after telcos reported a loss in the second quarter of this financial year. However, the companies did not share the exact details about the hike or how much subscribers have to pay. But sources close to the development are expecting that it could be as much as 30 to 40 percent.

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According to the Vodafone mobile data charges in India, they are by far the cheapest in the world even as the demand for mobile data services continues to grow rapidly. However, to ensure that its customers continue to enjoy its services, the company will suitably increase the prices of its tariffs effective December 1, 2019.

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Hours later, Airtel has also issued a statement and said, " The telecom sector is highly capital intensive with fast-changing technology cycles that require continuing investments. It is, therefore, extremely important that the industry remains viable to support the vision of Digital India. Accordingly, Airtel will appropriately increase price offerings in the month beginning December."

The decision comes at that time when TRAI is planning to introduce a floor price for tariffs to prevent predatory pricing. At present, the telecom regulator is waiting for approval from the Department Of Telecom for the same.

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For the unaware, both Vodafone and Airtel reported a loss of Rs. 74,000 crore in Q2FY20. While Vodafone Idea posted a consolidated loss of Rs. 50, 921 crore, which is the highest ever loss posted by any Indian company. On the other hand, Airtel reported a loss of Rs. 23, 045 crore during the same period. Operators were forced to introduce tariffs at low prices so that they can retain their customers.

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