Vi draws first blood in tariff battle, hikes prices on 2 plans

Vodafone Idea Ltd (Vi) on Tuesday raised prices of two Red Family postpaid plans costing ₹598 and ₹749 by ₹50 each, becoming the first of India’s three private telcos to raise tariffs since last December.

In October, Vodafone Idea chief executive Ravinder Takkar had said the cash-strapped company would not shy away from raising prices and will set a precedent in the industry. The management of rival Bharti Airtel Ltd has also spoken of a tariff hike but has not given a timeline yet.

Vi’s plan of ₹598, which offers two connections with 80GB data, will now cost ₹649, while the ₹749 plan will be offered at ₹799 per month. Both plans will continue to offer unlimited local, long-distance and national roaming voice calls to any network within India.