Telecom companies starved for funds, your mobile bill may rise up to 30%

KOLKATA: The country’s billionplus mobile users may have to brace for more sharp jumps in phone bills by end-2020 itself with telcos likely to raise prices by another 25-30% with average revenue per user (ARPU) still low and overall telecom-related consumer spends in India amongst the lowest globally, industry executives and analysts said.

Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel, staring at huge payouts after they got no relief from the Supreme Court on their adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, would need to raise prices in a bid to rebuild financial strength. And, if Vodafone Idea were to collapse, as feared by some, analysts expect big price hikes from Bharti AirtelNSE 0.86 % and RelianceNSE -1.73 % Jio Infocomm in a private duopoly structure.