Summary:
Indian mobile users may face another round of telecom tariff hike between October 2025 and January 2026, with the increase to be less than 15–20%, not like 2024 hikes. Analysts have predicted operators such as Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone Idea, which will raise prices to promote revenue and funds, keeping the validity of the scheme unchanged.
Indian telecom operators are likely to increase mobile tariffs again within the next six months, with industry experts estimating to happen between October 2025 and January 2026. According to Ankit Jain of ICRA, the expected growth will be less than 15–20%, which will exceed more than 2024. Analysts believe these price hike will become more frequent going forward, helping raise average revenue per user (ARPU) from ₹200 in FY25 to around ₹220 in FY26.
Impact of Past Tariff Hikes and Expected Changes
In 2024, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vodafone idea increased the tariffs to about 19–21%, leading to some cost-conscious users to migrate into state-run BSNL. This time, operators are expected to apply the headline price increase without changes in the validity of the scheme, a step that is aimed at making it more customers centric.
Airtel, Jio, and Vi’s Strategic Focus
Bharti Airtel has already indicated scope to increase data tariffs. During its Q1 earning calls, Vice-Chairman and MD Gopal Vital said “mobile tariff design in India is skewed” given that high-paying customers often make unevenly less payments.” Airtel aims to improve its customer mixture by running an upgrade on postpaid plan and smartphone.
Reliance Jio has so far shared a specific timeline for its next hike, but has maintained continuous earnings that tariff improvements are necessary to maintain heavy 5G investments. The Vodafone idea is also expected to be involved in the move, focusing on improving financial stability and expanding network coverage.
Why More Hikes Are Inevitable
Demanding significant capital with 5G signs, spectrum costs, and network upgrade, telecom operators are under constant pressure to improve profitability. Experts say tariff hike will become more regular than current annual patterns, making it important for users to plan to increase mobile costs in the coming years.
