Your Mobile Recharge May Get Costlier! Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Idea May Bring Another Tariff Hike, Says Expert

The pricing environment is likely to become favourable for telecom operators like Jio, Vodafone Idea, and Airtel and these players may opt for another 12-15% tariff hike over the next three to four months, as per a latest Centrum report. THe tariff hike can come in a duration of next three to four months and may impact prepaid and postpaid charges and data plans.

Apart from tariff hike, these telecom operators are likely to see improvements in average revenue per user (ARPU) and increase in subscriber base during the June quarter of financial year 2026-27.

How Much Price Hike Is Expected For Jio, Airtel, Vodafone Users?

As per Centrum report, the pricing environment has become favourable with only 3+1 players in the telecom industry. These companies are expected to report increase ARPU led by 2G to 4G/5G migration, postpaid addition, and higher number of days in the June quarter of financial year 2026-27. Due to favourable environment, there can be a tariff hike of around 12%-15%.

"The pricing environment has become more favourable with only 3+1 players and we expect another 12-15% tariff hike over next 3 to 4 months. Also, AGR dues liability has significantly come down for VIL to Rs 25k crore as present value of future AGR payment obligations," read a Centrum report.

What To Expect For Telecom Operators In Q1FY26?

Vodafone Idea Limited is likely to add 0.2 million customers on a quarterly basis. Robust data usage due to growing penetration of 4G/5G network is likely to help these companies increase their subscriber base. Reliance Jio and Airtel have covered 90% districts with 5G services and they aim to add more areas in the network in the coming months.

"Reliance Jio and Airtel are also seeing strong traction in terms of 5G FWA and fixed broadband addition as penetration in the segment remains low."

Reliance Jio Expected TO Add 7 Million Subscribers

Reliance Jio is likely to add 7 million subscribers to 531 million in Q1FY26. Its ARPU is likely to grow by 1% on a sequential basis to 216 per month. The ARPU jump is likely to be led by 5G FWA addition and higher number of days in the quarter.

Airtel To Add 5 Mn Subscribers In June Quarter

Bharti Airtel is expected to add around 5 million subscribers on a sequential basis to 378 million, as per Centrum report. Bharti Airtel's ARPU is likely to grow by 1.5% on a sequential basis to Rs 261 per month. The ARPU growth is likely to be led by ongoing migration of subscribers from 2G-to-4G and higher number of days in the quarter. It is expected to report ~3.2% sequential revenue growth.