Expect to pay 10-25% more for your mobile phone bill

CHENNAI: Mobile phone users and data consumers will have to pay 10-25% more for their phone bills and data charges, as major telecom players such as Jio, Airtel and Vi have already started rolling out revised tariffs.

Chennai, with its large number of customers, will feel the heat, admitted informed industry sources. Though the charges for data connection are relatively cheaper in India when compared to the countries in the West, telecom players are expected to rake in the moolah in the coming months.

Those who use 1 GB data per month are using unlimited data per day now. Industry sources opine that the phones and data have become a necessity like other items and people are forced to pay for it.

“The telecom industry is market-driven, and a price-hike is an element of any business. Mobile phones are an indelible part of our lives; so, spending on them has also become a necessity,” said PV Vinod, retired CGM, BSNL.

While telecom companies do not have a cap or limitation of the amount by the government services, the corporates fix the price. Digital payments have become very common now and even small street vendors use it for payments.

“It’s always the common people that would be affected due to an increase in tariff charges. They are already struggling due to inflation and this just piles on the challenges. This kind of arbitrary hike without any government interference is unacceptable,” said KE Raghunathan, chairman, Association of Indian Entrepreneurs.

He urged the Union government to take necessary steps to revitalise BSNL so that it could offer affordable rates with 5G facilities for the common people. “In the last 10 years, mobile phones have moved from a luxury to a necessity category. The government must now make sure that the telecom charges are affordable for all,” he stated.

The reason behind the sudden increase in price is unknown and it should be made clear. “The State-run BSNL has completely gone out of the market due to administrative negligence. This has enabled private players to rule the market now. The State has to step in, and bring back BSNL to its heydays to control them,” opined P Viswanathan, a resident of Chitlapakkam.

Since mobile and internet connectivity have become a necessity, it should not become an additional burden for the public. “After the Lok Sabha polls, a hike in telecom charges was expected but this is not the right time as people are already struggling with inflation,” pointed out Sandhya Vedullapalli, a city-based lawyer.