Millions of mobile users in India may soon have to pay more for recharge plans. According to a report by The Economic Times, telecom companies are planning to increase mobile tariff rates by 10–12% by the end of this year.
Why Are Prices Increasing?
In July 2024, companies had already raised prices by 11% to 23%. Now, as the number of internet users is rising every month, telecom operators feel it’s the right time to raise prices again.
Experts believe that tier-based plans may be introduced. These plans may offer less data, so users will have to buy extra data packs, which means more spending.
New Record in May 2025
In May 2025, India saw a record number of mobile users — 1.08 billion active users, the highest in 29 months.
- Jio gained the most with 5.5 million new active users and increased its market share to 53%.
- Airtel added 1.3 million users.
5G Services Will Push Prices Higher
The new tariff plans may be adjusted to match 5G services. According to brokerage firm Jefferies, companies like Jio and Airtel are growing fast, and Vodafone Idea is losing users. This gives companies a good reason to hike prices.
New plans may be based on:
- Data usage
- Internet speed
- Time of usage
Experts also believe that premium and mid-tier customers will be targeted more, so that common users are not affected too much.
India’s First Private Satellite Broadband Service
Meanwhile, Ananth Technologies, a Hyderabad-based Indian company, has become the first private firm to get approval to launch satellite broadband services using indigenous satellites.
- They will launch a 4-ton GEO communication satellite.
- The satellite will provide speeds up to 100 Gbps.
- The company will invest around ₹3,000 crore in this project.
Currently, Elon Musk’s Starlink is still waiting for permission to offer services in India.
This development is a big step in improving India’s digital infrastructure.
