Idea, Vodafone end one paisa tariff
July 28th, 2011 - 8:55 pm ICT by IANSMumbai, July 28 (IANS) Taking a leaf from telecom giant Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Vodafone also increased tariffs on their pre-paid plans in select regions while Bharti expanded its new tariffs to other circles, officials familiar with the development said Thursday.
Idea has increased its tariff from 1 paisa per second to 1.2 paisa per second for calls made from Idea to other networks including both local and STD calls in the Delhi region under the per second billing scheme.
The operator had so far been offering its customers 1 paisa per second billing plan for local and STD calls made from Idea to Idea network as well as from Idea to other networks.
Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel also expanded its tariff hike plans during the course of the weekend.
The telecom operator which had Friday announced a 20-25 percent hike in its tariffs in selected regions across the country including Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat has expanded its tariff plans to a total of 18 circles.
“We have finally rolled out new tariff plans across 18 circles. The ones that have not been covered till now are UP West, Haryana, Mumbai and Orissa,” a senior executive of Bharti Airtel told IANS on the basis of anonymity.
With the entry of new players and the ensuing tariff wars, the high priced bidding for 3G auctions, which saw top operators like Bharti Airtel and Reliance Communications coughing up Rs.12,295 crore and Rs.8,583 crore respectively, had led to margins being hammered.
Bharti had in fact paid an additional Rs.3,314 crore for acquiring BWA spectrum as well.
Bharti’s move gave a break to the cut-throat competition among telecom operators offering dirt cheap tariffs.
Idea’s tariff hikes are also effective in other regions where the company provides its services including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, however the plans differ slightly from one place to another.
“We don’t have one strategy plan in all circles,” a senior executive of Idea Cellular told IANS on the basis of anonymity.
Vodafone on the other hand has changed its tariffs in 12 circles from 1 paisa per second to 1.2 paisa or 1.5 paisa, subjective to the regions.
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- Telcos can fix call tariff depending on market conditions - Aug 26, 2011
- Vodafone hikes call tariff for post-paid customers in Mumbai by 20 percent - May 01, 2012
- 3G roaming deals issue to affect investor confidence: Airtel - Nov 18, 2011
- Return 3G license fees if roaming pact illegal: Telecom biggies - Nov 22, 2011
- Mobile call tariffs to hike even further: Mittal - Sep 06, 2011
- Final decision on 3G roaming after meeting operators: DoT - Nov 28, 2011
- Fresh 2G auction: Consumer may be spared large hike - Feb 19, 2012
- Telcom firms meet Sibal again lobbying against TRAI proposals - May 08, 2012
- Telecom stocks soar after Airtel hikes tariff - Jul 25, 2011
- Mobile number portability not much of a hit - Dec 04, 2011
- Airtel, Idea, Vodafone asked to stop 3G roaming service - Dec 23, 2011
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