Telecom major Bharti Airtel on Friday announced an increase in the prepaid tariff rates of its 'Advantage' pack.
The company announced that users of advantage packs, which are based on per minute billing, will have to pay 60 paise per minute for local and STD calls to mobile phones and 90 paise for local and STD calls to landlines. Furthermore, Re 1 and Rs 1.5 will be charged for local and national SMSes, respectively. Existing users will have to pay for new rates after the validity of their existing voucher ends.
There is no increase in the tariff of its 'Freedom' pack, which is based on per second billing.
Call tariffs were hiked by 20% in six major circles including New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Sources say that other telecom players will follow suit.
Bharti Airtel added 2.12 million mobile subscribers in June, taking its total to 169.2 million, data from Cellular Operators Association of India said.
India is the world's second-biggest mobile-phone market after China. Bharti, the fifth-largest mobile operator globally by subscribers, operates in 19 countries in South Asia and Africa.
Earlier this month, Bharti Airtel announced it was streamlining its India and South Asia operations to create a leaner cost structure in order to boost its financial performance.
