Airtel has announced it will revise its mobile tariff plans for prepaid connections from November 26 in a move that will rebalance its average revenue per user (ARPU). This means all the prepaid tariffs will be costlier than they are right now after November 25. The lowest value plan of Rs 79 will cost you Rs 99, while the highest-end Rs 2,498 plan will become worth Rs 2,999 for customers of prepaid connections.

“Bharti Airtel has always maintained that the mobile Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) needs to be at Rs 200 and ultimately at Rs 300, so as to provide a reasonable return on capital that allows for a financially healthy business model,” said Airtel in a press statement as the reason behind the latest tariff hike. Airtel has an ARPU of Rs 153 as compared to Rs 144 for Reliance Jio and Rs 109 for Vi.

Today’s announcement comes only a few days after Bharti enterprises chairman, Sunil Bharti Mittal, said the tariff plans will soon see an increase. After Airtel, its rivals Jio and Vi are expected to increase their mobile tariffs soon, but there is no confirmation yet.

Airtel said this hike in mobile tariffs will give it elbow room for the rollout of 5G network in India. The second-largest telecom operator said it will begin trialling 5G services in India early next year. Its rival Reliance Jio and Vi, too, have given tentative timelines of next year for the rollout of 5G services in India.

Here is the list of all the previous prepaid plans with their new prices along with the benefits: