TRAI needs to step in to ensure financial health of sector: Sunil Mittal

NEW DELHI : The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) needs to step in now to ensure that mobile tariffs move up and the financial health of the sector is restored, Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal said on Thursday.

“Indian consumers have been enjoying low rates, they will continue to enjoy low rates, but I think we need to have a balance between requirement of investments and the consumer on the other side,” Mittal told reporters after meeting finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman for pre-Budget consutations.

“My view is ₹200 ARPU, eventually going to ₹300 ARPU… at the lower end ₹100 per customer over a month of consuming rich data, voice and other services, and on the upper hand ₹450-500 and therefore blended eventual landing point of ₹300 a month which will still be $4 a month, and by far the lowest anywhere in the world, and yet consuming two-three times more data than anywhere else in the world,” Mittal said.