Airtel, Reliance Jio mull ending free unlimited 5G data offers

Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are planning to charge at least 5-10% more for 5G services compared to 4G
A representational image. — Canva
A representational image. — Canva

India’s two leading telecom operators — Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel — are planning to discontinue their unlimited 5G data plans for customers who have been availing the offer at the existing 4G rates.

Analysts told Economic Times that in order to stimulate monetization and revenue growth from the second half of 2024 both telecom companies are planning to charge at least 5-10% more for 5G services compared to 4G.

It should be noted that Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel have been the first to provide 5G connectivity to customers at 4G rates as they wanted to grab the attention of their existing customers to upgrade to the next-generation wireless broadband service for almost a year now.

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Owing to the aforementioned strategy it is expected that the number of 5G users will exceed 200 million in India by the end of 2024.

Industry experts expect the two telecom firms to increase mobile charges by at least 20% in the third quarter (July-September) quarter of 2024 in order to increase their return on capital employed while simultaneously investing and greater customer acquisition costs.