Vodafone Idea (Vi) announced on June 28 the launch of new prepaid and postpaid plans effective from July 4, becoming the third telecom operator to raise tariffs following Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel.
Vi has increased tariffs by 11-24% across various categories and plans significant investments over the next few quarters to enhance the 4G experience and launch 5G services. These new plans will be available through all existing touchpoints and channels.
In a statement, the telecom operator said, “In line with its commitment to provide its consumers with simple and comprehensive plans, Vi has curated an optimum range of feature-rich plans to meet the diverse needs of its consumers. Staying true to its philosophy of supporting entry-level users and progressively linking higher prices to increased usage, changes in entry-level plans are nominal.”
Vodafone Idea has raised the entry-level plan’s minimum recharge value for 28 days of mobile service by about 11% to Rs 199 from Rs 179. The price of a popular 84-day validity plan with 1.5 GB data per day has increased to Rs 859 from Rs 719. The annual unlimited plan price has risen by about 21% to Rs 3,499 from Rs 2,899. However, there is no change in its 365-day validity plan with a 24 GB data limit, which remains at Rs 1,799.
“Vi is the only operator offering a range of unmatched benefits to its prepaid customers by offering Night Free Data and Weekend Data Roll Over with its ‘Hero Unlimited’ plans and a unique ‘Choose Your Benefit’ option to its Post-Paid customers under its Vi Max Plans,” the statement added.
Earlier, Bharti Airtel announced a 10-21% hike in prepaid and postpaid mobile tariffs on Friday, a day after larger rival Reliance Jio increased its rates. Airtel has been advocating for a tariff hike, citing the ‘absurdly low’ levels of rates in India compared to other parts of the world.
Among the unlimited voice plans, Airtel raised tariffs by about 11%, revising rates from Rs 179 to Rs 199; from Rs 455 to Rs 509; and from Rs 1,799 to Rs 1,999. In the daily data plan category, the Rs 479 plan with 56-day validity and 1.5GB/day has been increased to Rs 579, a 20.8% hike.
Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel will roll out increased mobile service rates starting July 3.