Sunil Mittal hints at mobile services rate hike

Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal on Monday hinted at an increase in mobile services prices in the next six months, saying that data at low rates is not sustainable for the telecom industry.

He said that 16 GB data consumption a month for Rs 160 is a tragedy. “You either consume 1.6 GB of capacity per month either at this price point or you may prepare to pay a lot more. We are not wanting $50-60 like the US or Europe but certainly $2 for 16 GB a month is not sustainable,” Mittal said at an event. Mittal also said that the average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to cross Rs 200 in six months on digital content consumption.