Lok Sabha Question No. 2721 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-11
Subject: Tariff Hikes in various Telecom Services
Ministry: COMMUNICATION
Asked by: Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2721 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## TARIFF HIKES IN VARIOUS TELECOM SERVICES

## 2721.   SHRI RAJIV PRATAP RUDY:

Will the Minister of COMMUNICATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that there have been tariff hikes in various telecom services during the last few months, and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government is aware that these hikes have resulted in a significant number of people  being  unable  to  afford  recharge  services,  thereby  losing  access  to  basic  communication facilities;
- (c) the  total  number  of  subscribers  for  major  telecom  companies  such  as  Jio,  Airtel,  and Vodafone-Idea before and after the tariff hikes, and the percentage decline, if any, in their user base;

(d) the steps being taken by the Government to ensure that common people, especially those in rural and economically weaker sections, do not suffer due to unaffordable telecom tariffs;

- (e) the role of BSNL playing in providing affordable and accessible telecom services amidst these tariff hikes; and
- (f) whether there is any proposal to strengthen BSNL's presence and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)

(a) to (d) Yes, in the recent past three private telecom service providers (TSPs) had increased the tariff. The increase in tariff by these TSPs Bharti Airtel Limited (BAL), Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), Vodafone Idea Limited was in the range of 11% to 25%.  The details of the hike in their tariff plans are given at Annexure -I.

In  2004,  after  determining  the  presence  of  adequate  competition  in  the  telecom  services market, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) adopted the policy of tariff forbearance for mobile telecom services, which is in line with many other countries of the world. It implies that the TSPs are free to fix tariff for telecommunication services in a competitive market based on the market forces of demand and supply.

The total number of subscribers for major TSPs before and after the tariff hike is given at Annexure -II.

It may further be mentioned that the Indian telecom tariffs are amongst the lowest in the world and in India's neighborhood as per ITU data, which is given at Annexure -III.

(e) BSNL  is  being  entrusted  with  ambitious  project  of  Government  of  India  for  covering uncovered villages and difficult terrains in India under 4G Saturation, Border Out Posts/ Border Intelligence Posts (BOP/BiP) and Left-Wing Extremist (LWE) project to reach the remotely and sparsely populated Citizens. The deployed infrastructure can be upgraded for use of 5G capabilities.

(f) Yes,  Government  had  extended  its  support  to  BSNL  for  upgrading  its  infrastructure  and competing  with  private  operators.  The  support  provided  by  Government  to  BSNL  is  given  at Annexure -IV.

## Tariffs of M/s RJIL

## Annexure -I

| S. No.             | Tariffs w.e.f. 1st December 2021   | Validity (in days)   | Tariffs w.e.f. 03rd july 2024   | Tariff hike (%)    |
|--------------------|------------------------------------|----------------------|---------------------------------|--------------------|
| 1                  | 155                                | 28                   | 189                             | 22%                |
| 2                  | 179                                | 24                   | -                               | -                  |
| 3                  | 239                                | 28                   | 299                             | 25%                |
| 4                  | 299                                | 28                   | 349                             | 17%                |
| 5                  | 479                                | 56                   | 579                             | 21%                |
| 6                  | 533                                | 56                   | 629                             | 18%                |
| 7                  | 395                                | 84                   | 479                             | 21%                |
| 8                  | 666                                | 84                   | 799                             | 20%                |
| 9                  | 719                                | 84                   | 859                             | 19%                |
| 10                 | 1559                               | 336                  | 1899                            | 22%                |
| Tariffs of M/s VIL | Tariffs of M/s VIL                 | Tariffs of M/s VIL   | Tariffs of M/s VIL              | Tariffs of M/s VIL |
| S. No.             | Tariffs w.e.f. 1st December 2021   | Validity (in days)   | Tariffs w.e.f. 4th july 2024    | Tariff hike (%)    |
| 1                  | 179                                | 28                   | 199                             | 11%                |
| 2                  | 269                                | 28                   | 299                             | 11%                |
| 3                  | 299                                | 28                   | 349                             | 17%                |
| 4                  | 359                                | 28                   | -                               | -                  |
| 5                  | 479                                | 56                   | 579                             | 21%                |
| 6                  | 539                                | 56                   | 649                             | 20%                |
| 7                  | 459                                | 84                   | 509                             | 11%                |
| 8                  | 719                                | 84                   | 859                             | 19%                |
| 9                  | 839                                | 84                   | 979                             | 17%                |
| 10                 | 1799                               | 365                  | 1999                            | 11%                |
| 11                 | 2899                               | 365                  | 3499                            | 21%                |
| Tariffs of M/s BAL | Tariffs of M/s BAL                 | Tariffs of M/s BAL   | Tariffs of M/s BAL              | Tariffs of M/s BAL |
| S. No.             | Tariffs w.e.f. 1st December 2021   | Validity (in days)   | Tariffs w.e.f. 03rd july 2024   | Tariff hike (%)    |
| 1                  | 179                                | 28                   | 199                             | 11%                |
| 2                  | 265                                | 28                   | 299                             | 13%                |
| 3                  | 299                                | 28                   | 349                             | 17%                |
| 4                  | 359                                | 28                   | 409                             | 14%                |
| 5                  | 479                                | 56                   | 579                             | 21%                |
| 6                  | 549                                | 56                   | 649                             | 18%                |
| 7                  | 455                                | 84                   | 509                             | 12%                |
| 8                  | 719                                | 84                   | 859                             | 19%                |
| 9                  | 839                                | 84                   | 979                             | 17%                |
| 10                 | 1799                               | 365                  | 1999                            | 11%                |
| 11                 | 2999                               | 365                  | 3599                            | 20%                |

## Annexure -II

| Service Provider   | Subscriber base (millions)   | Subscriber base (millions)   | Subscriber base (millions)   | Rate of Growth   |
|--------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------|
|                    | Jun-24                       | Sep-24                       | Net Additions                | (%)              |
| Reliance Jio       | 489.72                       | 478.78                       | -10.94                       | -2.23%           |
| Bharti Airtel      | 398.07                       | 392.80                       | -5.27                        | -1.32%           |
| Vodafone Idea Ltd  | 218.12                       | 213.32                       | -4.80                        | -2.20%           |

## Annexure-III

| Nation                         | Measure names   | Measure values   |
|--------------------------------|-----------------|------------------|
| India and Neighbouring nations |                 |                  |
| China                          | USD             | 8.84             |
| Afghanistan                    | USD             | 4.77             |
| Bhutan                         | USD             | 4.62             |
| Bangladesh                     | USD             | 3.24             |
| Nepal (Republic of)            | USD             | 2.75             |
| India                          | USD             | 1.89             |
| Pakistan                       | USD             | 1.39             |
| Other countries                |                 |                  |
| USA                            | USD             | 49               |
| Canada                         | USD             | 34.21            |
| Australia                      | USD             | 20.05            |
| Russia                         | USD             | 6.55             |
| UK                             | USD             | 12.62            |
| France                         | USD             | 21.77            |
| Germany                        | USD             | 14.14            |
| Netherlands                    | USD             | 16.87            |
| Sweden                         | USD             | 18.91            |
| Brazil                         | USD             | 6.06             |
| Argentina                      | USD             | 19.61            |
| Indonesia                      | USD             | 3.29             |
| Turkiye                        | USD             | 4.8              |
| Kenya                          | USD             | 4.72             |
| Algeria                        | USD             | 7.37             |
| Japan                          | USD             | 40.56            |
| Singapore                      | USD             | 11.2             |

|   Year | Support (Amount in Rs.)   |
|--------|---------------------------|
|   2019 | Rs. 69,000 Crores         |
|   2022 | Rs. 1.64 Lakh Crores      |
|   2023 | Rs. 89,000 Crores         |

*****

## Annexure-IV