After the Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel cut the rates of its 3G tariff, Aditya Birla Group’s Idea Cellular has also announced the slashed tariff of its 3G services by up to 70 percent. The move was expected when Airtel announced a heavy cut in the prices.
The pre-paid as well as the post paid customers of Idea will now have to pay 3 paise per 10 KB against the earlier rate of 10 paise per 10 KB. Idea in a statement said, “The new tariff plan aims to make internet usage within the reach of rural, mid-town customers at home and will help first time users to experience the benefits of 3G. Idea’s objective is to drive mobile internet usage for the mass market”.
Another Indian telecom operator Aircel, now offers unlimited 3G plans with tariffs starting from Rs. 8 per day. The telecom operators are now competing in terms of the 3G prices, over the Trai’s recent recommendations on spectrum auction.
The Trai has warned that the mobile bills could go up by 100 percent in some of the circles if the proposals are accepted. According to the industry experts, the new price war between the telecom operators might be a move to cash in the huge investments made by the operators.
