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Sunil Mittal Calls for Rs 350 Monthly Mobile Tariffs, Says Current Rates Are Too Low
Sentiment: NeutralHigh Priority
What Happened?
Sunil Mittal, founder of Bharti Airtel, advocates for raising India's average mobile tariff to Rs 350 per month, citing rising costs and the need for telecom infrastructure investment. He argues this would still keep Indian mobile services affordable.
Key points
- Mittal suggests a monthly mobile tariff of Rs 350 to address rising operational costs.
- He emphasizes the need for significant investment in telecom infrastructure to improve connectivity.
- Currently, India has about 3.5 lakh mobile towers, compared to over 10 lakh in China.
- Mittal believes that even at Rs 350, Indian tariffs would remain lower than in many countries.
- He proposes that entry-level packages could start above Rs 200.
Key insights
- Higher tariffs may provide telecom companies with the financial flexibility needed for infrastructure expansion.
- The telecom sector's profitability concerns highlight the disparity between infrastructure costs and digital platform valuations.
- Increased mobile expenditure could lead to enhanced digital services for consumers.
Why it matters
The proposed tariff increase could impact the affordability of mobile services for consumers in India.
Entities
Sunil Mittal· PersonBharti Airtel· CompanyIndia· Country
Source
Times Now
