No hike in 5G tariff plans, says Sunil Mittal as Airtel pushes for ₹300 per user revenue

Sunil Mittal, the Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, has set an ambitious target of achieving a ₹300 average revenue per user (ARPU) by the end of the fiscal year 2024-25 (FY25). Despite the prevailing scepticism surrounding potential tariff hikes in the wake of 5G deployment, Mittal remains steadfast in his vision, saying users will not pay anything extra for 5G.

Mittal reiterated the importance of the ₹300 ARPU target, which, despite inflationary pressures over the years, remains essential for funding crucial network infrastructure enhancements. "I mentioned ₹300 many years back. And a lot of inflation has taken place in the last 5-7 years where electricity prices are up, employee costs are up, almost every touchpoint is up in terms of costs. Yet, we are still talking about ₹300," he told CNBC-TV18.

For the December-ending quarter, Bharti Airtel reported an ARPU of ₹208, for context, an improvement against ₹193 in the corresponding quarter of 2022.