Hey, Friends,<br /><br /><br /><br />Vodafone Idea wants to increase data prices by 10 times - to cover its spectrum duesVodafone Idea has requested the Department of Telecommunication to increase the minimum base prices of data.<br />The telco has claimed that the price increase is important for the company to be able to pay statutory dues.<br /><br /><br />AGR: NITI Aayog does a flip-flop on minimum floor price for telcos<br />Amitabh Kant claimed that fixing a floor price is in "national interest" and would ensure that the sector is provided with much needed relief measures<br />Set floor price for phone calls, data; no other option for telecom sector: Niti CEO Amitabh Kant to TRAI<br />Mobile subscribers get access to 4G data at a price as low as Rs 3.5 per GB but if the floor price is fixed as demanded by telecom operators, the mobile internet prices will rise 5-10 times from the current level.<br />Telcos seek floor price for data for 2-3 years, oppose any ceiling<br />Looking at telecom industry demand to fix floor price: Trai<br />Trai had, in past, vehemently opposed any intervention by the regulator in setting either cap or floor tariffs, and the U-turn in its thought process came a day after Bharti Airtel head Sunil Mittal reportedly pressed Telecom Secretary for setting a floor or minimum rate for data.<br />Jio Seeks Data Price Hiked to Rs. 20 per GB Over 6 Months<br />Jio said voice tariff should continue under forbearance as before<br />It said said the typical Indian consumer is very price sensitive<br />Target floor price should be implemented in 2-3 tranches, it said<br /><br />Earlier last month, Vodafone Idea proposed to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) to increase data prices to ₹35 per GB, in addition to a monthly connection fee to help cover its adjusted gross revenue dues of ₹53,000 crore.<br /><br />According to a report by ET Telecom, Jio proposed the minimum floor price be raised to ₹20 per GB in two to three tranches to minimize the price shock for consumers. This could result in an increase by up to 461%, which could lead to an industry-wide spike in prices.<br /><br />New minimum floor price to aid the distressed telecom sector<br />In its letter, Jio noted that the increase in the minimum floor price will prove to be an aid to the distressed telecom sector. This should come as a pleasant surprise to Airtel and Vodafone Idea which have been hit by adjusted gross revenue dues of ₹36,000 crore and ₹53,000 crore respectively.<br /><br />Jio also proposed that the new minimum floor price should be implemented uniformly across all tariffs as well as individual and corporate segments.<br /><br />Jio’s 4G prices are still the lowest in the industry<br /><br />While data prices have increased across the board after the tariff hike last year, Reliance Jio still offers the lowest 4G data prices in the country.<br /><br /><br />Thanks for watching
