Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Airtel has quietly removed four of its prepaid recharge plans in India, and the move is raising fresh questions about whether a tariff hike could be on the way. The Rs 299, Rs 579, Rs 619 and Rs 649 plans have reportedly been discontinued across the country from today, with customers now being directed towards costlier alternatives.
According to a CNBC-TV18 report citing sources, the replacement plans in the affected categories are priced around 5 percent to 16 percent higher. The biggest jump is at the Rs 299 price point, which has now disappeared from Airtel’s prepaid lineup.
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Airtel removes Rs 299 plan, new pack will cost you 16 percent more
The Rs 299 plan offered 1.5GB of daily data for 28 days. Customers looking for a similar option will now find the Rs 349 plan, which costs Rs 50 more but also offers 2GB of data per day for the same 28-day validity. That works out to a roughly 16 percent increase in the price for this category.
Airtel has also removed some of the other mid-range options, reducing the number of price points available to prepaid users. At the lower end, however, the Rs 199 plan remains available with 2GB of total data and 28 days of validity. The next option is the Rs 219 plan, which offers 3GB of total data for 28 days.
The changes are important because they come at a time when India’s telecom industry is already rumoured to raise tariffs. A recent Centrum Institutional Research report said Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea could increase prepaid prices by up to 15 percent over the next three to four months.
“The pricing environment has become more favourable with only 3+1 players and we expect another 12-15% tariff hike over the next 3 to 4 months,” the report said.
Airtel tariff hike coming for prepaid recharge plans? Here is what we know
Airtel’s latest move could be an early sign of that expected increase, although it would be premature to call it a full-fledged tariff hike. The company has not announced a blanket revision of its prepaid prices, and the changes so far appear to be limited to selected plans.
India Today has reached out to Airtel for a response and will update the story once the company shares an official statement.
For Airtel users, the immediate takeaway is that some familiar recharge options have become unavailable, while the replacement plans can cost more. Whether Jio and Vi follow with similar changes could determine if this turns into another industry-wide tariff revision. At the moment, Airtel’s move should be viewed as a possible early indication rather than confirmation of a bigger price hike.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
