Bharti hikes prepaid tariffs by up to 25%

Bharti Airtel on Monday announced a 20-25% hike in tariffs across its prepaid plans, a move which would take its average realisation per user (Arpu) closer to the Rs 200 mark against the Rs 153 currently. This is the first major tariff hike across the board since December 2019. In July this year, the company had effected a limited tariff hike in the corporate postpaid plans and the entry-level prepaid plan.

Analysts also expect Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio to now come out with tariff hikes. FE had recently reported that with Reliance Jio’s new entry-level smartphone, launched around Diwali not exactly being a disruptor in terms of pricing, rival operators like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea are likely to hike tariffs.