Summary:
Reliance Jio has discontinued its entry-level prepaid plan, priced at ₹209 (22 days, 1 GB/day) and 249 (28 days, 1 GB/day). Subscribers now have to choose the option of the next available plan of 299, which offers 1.5 GB/day for 28 days. Along with Airtel and Vodafone ideas, they also start their base monthly plans at ₹299, the new minimum recharge threshold of the industry has effectively moved upwards. Analysts expect tariff hike between October 2025 and January 2026, although it is expected to be a smaller steep as compared to 2024 hike.
Reliance Jio has officially withdrawn its most affordable prepaid recharge pack of Rs 209 and 249, offering 1 GB daily data. According to the industry investigation, these schemes are no longer available for online recharge and can only be purchased through selected physical outlets. The move means that Jio users now need to subscribe to Rs 299 plan, which provides 1.5 GB/day for 28 days, making it a new entry-level option for the operator’s customers.
Reliance Jio New Base Plan – ₹299
With this change, Reliance Jio aligns with rivals Bharti Airtel and Vodafone ideas, both already base plan at ₹299, but offer only 1 GB/day compared to 1.5 GB/day of Jio. It effectively sets ₹299 as a new minimum recharge benchmark in India’s telecom industry.
Tariff Hikes Expected in Late 2025
Industry experts believe that this step determines the platform for another round of tariff hike. According to ICRA’s Ankit Jain, telecom operators can revise tariffs between October 2025 and January 2026, although the expected increase will be less than 15–20%, smaller than the hike seen in 2024. Analysts also note that the tariff modification may be more frequent than the first bi-annual cycle, with ARPU projected to rise from ₹200 in FY25 to ₹220 in FY26.
Past Hikes and Future Outlook
In 2024, Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone Idea increased the tariff by about 19–21%, leading to some value-sensitive users transferred to the state-run BSNL. This time, operators are expected to apply only the headline price increase, without changing the validity of the scheme. While Reliance Jio has not confirmed a timeline for its next amendment, the company officials have reiterated in the earning call that tariff improvements are necessary to maintain a large scale 5G investments.
