Airtel bats for hike in voice, data rates

Voice and data tariffs need to go up as current rates are unsustainable, Bharti Airtel Ltd chief executive Gopal Vittal said. Addressing analysts at a post-earnings conference call on Wednesday, Vittal did not give a timeline for a tariff hike, but expressed confidence about higher prices in future.

Vittal said the telco aims to achieve an average revenue per user (Arpu) of ₹200 and ₹300 eventually. Airtel’s Arpu rose to ₹162 in the September quarter, from ₹128 a year ago, and ₹157 in the June quarter.

“We are at a premium (in tariff rates, compared with rivals). In the telecom space, you can have a premium, but it becomes unsustainable after a point. We do not want to slow down our growth,” Vittal said when asked about why Airtel does not want to take the lead in a tariff hike.