Prepaid rates: Voda Idea follows Bharti, raises tariffs

Following Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea on Tuesday raised prepaid tariffs across the board by 20-25% in its bid to improve realisations. The company, which is debt-ridden and weakest among the telecom operators, currently has an average realisation per user (Arpu) of Rs 109 – the lowest among mobile operators. This is the first major tariff hike by the company since December 2019, when all the telcos had increased rates. Both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea had undertaken a limited tariff hike in corporate postpaid plans and entry-level prepaid plan in July this year.

Reliance Jio may also hike tariffs in the days to come but even after that its tariffs are expected to remain lower than what Bharti and Vodafone Idea are offering.