Airtel Announces Mobile Plan Price Increase Following Jio’s Lead

Mobile phone users in India will see higher bills soon, as Bharti Airtel, the country’s second-largest carrier, joins Reliance Jio in raising mobile plan prices. Airtel’s hikes, ranging from 10% to 21%, go into effect on July 3rd. This move comes on the heels of similar price increases announced by Jio earlier this week (12-27% hike).

 What’s getting more expensive?

        Unlimited Voice Plans: Expect an increase of around 11%.

o    Rs. 179 plan goes up to Rs. 199.

o    Rs. 455 plan becomes Rs. 509.

o    Rs. 1,799 plan increases to Rs. 1,999.

 Daily Data Plans:

o    The Rs. 479 plan with 1.5GB/day and 56-day validity jumps to Rs. 579 (20.8% increase).

o    Prices for 1GB/day and 1.5GB/day plans with 28-day validity rise from Rs. 265 and Rs. 299 to Rs. 299 and Rs. 349 respectively.

o    Longer validity plans (84 days) see hikes of Rs. 140 depending on the plan. (e.g., 1.5GB/day goes from Rs. 719 to Rs. 859)

 Data Add-Ons: These also see price increases:

o    1GB, 1-day validity: Rs. 19 to Rs. 22.

o    2GB plan: Rs. 29 to Rs. 33.

o    4GB, 65-day validity: Rs. 65 to Rs. 77.

 Postpaid Plans: Expect increases of Rs. 10 to Rs. 205, translating to Rs. 50 to Rs. 200 more depending on your plan and number of connections.

Airtel claims the average price increase on their base plans is less than 70 paise per day. This announcement comes amidst a trend of rising mobile plan prices in India, following the lead of Reliance Jio.