Vodafone Idea has sought to make mobile data rates expensive. The company has proposed that the mobile data rate be increased to Rs 35 per GB. Explain that if this happens and you have a connection to Vodafone or Idea, then you will soon have to pay seven to eight times the money for the data. Not only this, the company is also demanding to increase the call rate to six paisa per minute with a fixed monthly fee. Currently, users are charged four to five rupees per GB for mobile data. Apart from this, calling is also free from Vodafone and customers pay 1 to 1.5 paisa per minute for calling on other networks.
Vodafone Idea says that the demand for increase in data and calling charges has been made to compensate the loss to the company. According to the order of the Supreme Court, Vodafone Idea is currently burdened with the dues of AGR of about 53 thousand crores. In this regard, Vodafone Idea has also asked for an 18-year deadline for payment of AGR dues and a three-year exemption from payment of interest and fine.
The company has also written a letter to the Ministry of Telecommunications (DoT). In this, the company has demanded a rate of Rs 35 per gigabyte of mobile data and a minimum monthly connection fee of Rs 50 from 1 April 2020. As we mentioned above, for mobile internet customers in India currently pay 4 to 5 rupees per GB.
Recall that only a few months ago, Airtel and JIO, including Vodafone Idea, increased the rate of calls and internet in India. This was a 50 per cent increase in calls and data and now three months of Vodafone and Idea are proposing to increase the rate of data and calls by seven to eight times.
