Reliance Jio takes the lead, hikes tariff by 12-25 per cent; Airtel & Vi likely to follow suit

Mobile phone bills are set to rise, with Reliance Jio Infocomm on Thursday announcing 12-25% hike in tariffs for most users and expectation that Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea will soon follow the market leader.

The first major rate hike since 2021 by a telco is aimed at shoring up average revenue per user (ARPU) in absence of monetisation of 5G services where telcos have made huge investments in buying airwaves and rolling out network, say experts.