India

Airtel Plan Shake-Up May Mean Higher Mobile Bills for Consumers

Published: 13 August 2026 · 1 min read

What Happened

Bharti Airtel has withdrawn several prepaid plans, including the popular ₹299 pack, and shifted users to higher-priced alternatives. The ₹299 recharge has been replaced by a ₹349 plan, effectively increasing the minimum cost for many prepaid users seeking similar benefits.

Key Takeaways

The move is designed to increase Airtel's Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) without announcing a broad tariff hike. Analysts view it as part of a wider telecom pricing strategy, and if successful, other operators could adopt similar plan rationalisation measures, potentially leading to higher mobile expenses across the industry.

Sources

Money Control, Economic Times