Surjewala flays hike in telecom tariff; says move to put additional annual burden of Rs 34,824 crore on common man

Neeraj Mohan 

New Delhi, July 5

Congress leader Randeep Surjewala has criticised the recent tariff hike by private cellular companies, stating that the move is set to burden the common man with an additional annual expense of Rs 34,824 crore. 

Surjewala highlighted that from July 3, 2024, Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea, which collectively hold a 91.6% market share, have raised their tariffs by an average of 15 per cent. This hike will affect 109 crore out of the 119 crore cellphone users in the country. 

According to Surjewala, the tariff increase reflects the ongoing trend of corporate profiteering under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term, labelling it as “crony capitalism.”

He alleged that the Reliance Jio tariffs were raised by 12% to 27%, with an average increase of 20 per cent. The most popular plan, previously priced at Rs 155 per month, has been hiked by 22 Rs to Rs 189 per month.

Bharti Airtel tariffs were increased by 11% to 21%, with an average hike of 16 per cent.

Also Vodafone Idea. The tariffs saw an increase of 10% to 24%, averaging a 16% hike.

He said the increased tariffs mean that Jio users alone will be paying an additional Rs 12,568 crore annually. On an average, Indian cellphone users, who spend Rs 152.55 per month on their bills, will now face significantly higher charges. This hike has sparked concerns about the monopolistic control of the market by a few major players.

Surjewala’s urged the government to scrutinise and regulate such substantial tariff hikes, ensuring that the interests of the general public are protected against corporate monopolies. The Congress leader called for immediate intervention to prevent further economic strain on ordinary citizens.

Market dynamics

The Indian cellphone market is predominantly dominated by these three companies:

Reliance Jio: 48 crore users

Bharti Airtel: 39 crore users

Vodafone Idea: 22.37 crore users

Of these, Jio and Airtel alone account for 87 crore users, underscoring their market dominance.