Vodafone Idea increases tariffs 10-21% after moves by Jio, Bharti Airtel

Vodafone Idea Ltd. has decided to increase its prepaid and post-paid rates by 10-21%, following similar moves by competitors Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. and Bharti Airtel Ltd. These new plans will be implemented starting from July 4.

"Vi is the only operator offering a range of unmatched benefits to its pre-paid customer 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 company said.

The basic prepaid plan, which includes 2GB data, unlimited calling, and 300 SMS valid for 28 days, will now cost Rs 199, up from Rs 179 previously. Additionally, the base postpaid plan will increase to Rs 451, marking a 12.5% rise in price.

"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," it said.

The price increase matches adjustments made by other two private telecom companies, even though Jio still offers the least expensive basic plans for both prepaid and postpaid services.

The financially strained Aditya Birla Group company plans to make substantial investments in the coming quarters to improve its 4G services and introduce 5G services.

The telecom company raised Rs 18,000 crore through a follow-on public offer. Alongside GQG, other prominent investors such as Fidelity Funds and Redwheel Funds participated in the anchor book. The Aditya Birla Group also invested Rs 2,075 crore in this fundraising effort. Shares of Vodafone Idea ended Friday 3.35% higher, contrasting with a 0.14% decline in the benchmark Nifty 50.