Jio, Vodafone Idea, Airtel play on international roaming battleground to woo postpaid users

Mumbai: International roaming services are turning into a battleground for private Indian telecom operators as Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio eye the postpaid customer base of cash-strapped Vodafone Idea, which is desperately trying to protect it, analysts said.

All three have ramped up efforts to attract higher paying postpaid customers as they look for ways to increase average revenue per user (ARPU) in the absence of headline tariff hikes, they added.

“With international travel picking up (after the pandemic) and given Vi’s vulnerability, both Airtel and Jio are making efforts to drive value for postpaid users using lucrative and simplified international travel packs,” Rohan Dhamija, head (India & Middle East) at Analysys Mason, said.