A Bharti Airtel building is pictured in Gurugram on the outskirts of New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Bharti Airtel on Friday, June 28, 2024, announced between 10-21 per cent hike in mobile tariffs, a day after larger rival Reliance Jio announced an increase in rates.

Airtel, in a release, said that the revision in mobile tariffs will be effective from July 3.

“We have ensured that there is a very modest price increase (less than 70 paise per day) on entry-level plans, in order to eliminate any burden on budget challenged consumers,” the Sunil Mittal-led telecom firm said announcing the revision in mobile tariffs.

Bharti Airtel said it has maintained that the mobile Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) needs to be upwards of ₹300, to enable a financially healthy business model for telcos in India.

“We believe that this level of ARPU will enable the substantial investments required in network technology and spectrum and offer a modest return on capital,” the telco said.

Among the unlimited voice plans, Airtel has raised tariffs in the ballpark range of about 11 per cent, and accordingly rates are revised from ₹179 to ₹99; from ₹455 to ₹509; and from ₹1,799 to ₹1,999. In the daily data plan category, the ₹479 plan has been increased to ₹579 (20.8 per cent increase).

The mobile tariff hike from mobile operators comes immediately after the 10th spectrum auction, which ended in just two days with muted response from the industry.

Sunil Bharti Mittal, the Founder and Chairperson of Bharti Enterprises, was awarded the Honorary Knighthood by King Charles III in the United Kingdom. Mr Mittal is the first Indian to receive a Knighthood from King Charles. 

He was awarded the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. KBE is among the highest honours conferred by the British Sovereign to civilians. It is awarded in an honorary capacity to foreign nationals. 

“I am deeply humbled by this gracious recognition from His Majesty, King Charles. UK and India have historical relations, which are now entering a new era of increased cooperation and collaboration,” Sunil Bharti Mittal said.

“I remain committed to working towards strengthening the economic and bilateral trade relationships between our two great nations. I am thankful to the Government of the UK, whose support and keen attention to the needs of business has been critical in making the country an attractive investment destination,” he added.

Sunil Bharti Mittal was conferred with Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian honour, in 2007. He served as Chair of the B20 India Action Council on African Economic Integration during India’s G20 Presidency. He is also a serving Commissioner at the International Telecommunication Union/UNESCO Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development. 

Knighthood, the Knight Commander (KBE), is conferred for a pre-eminent contribution in any field of activity (usually, but not exclusively, at the national level), or in a capacity recognised by peer groups as inspirational and significant nationally and demonstrates sustained commitment.

The KBE is awarded in an honorary capacity to foreign nationals. While the Knighthood conferred on UK nationals gives them the title of Sir or Dame, non-UK nationals conferred with the Honour, add KBE (or DBE for women) after their name instead of using titles such as Sir or Dame. Previous recipients of the Honorary KBE include Ratan Tata (2009), Ravi Shankar (2001) and Jamshed Irani (1997).