Bharti Airtel CEO indicates another round of tariff hike

Bharti Airtel Ltd chief executive Gopal Vittal on Thursday hinted at another round of tariff hike, stressing that the telecom operator’s average revenue per user (Arpu) needs to move towards Rs 200 a month, and eventually to Rs 300, for a sustainable business model.

Vittal did not give any timeline for the next increase in call and data tariffs.

He was addressing an analysts’ call, a day after the telco reported a loss of Rs 15,933 crore in the June quarter due to provisions of Rs 11,746 crore made towards statutory dues. Airtel’s Arpu in the June quarter was at Rs 157, up from Rs 154 in the March quarter.