GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS
DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2001
TO BE ANSWERED ON 11TH FEBRUARY, 2026
MOBILE RECHARGE TARIFFS INCREASE
2001. SHRI MANI A:
Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has taken note that mobile recharge tariffs have increased
significantly in recent months and are expected...
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2001 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11TH FEBRUARY, 2026 MOBILE RECHARGE TARIFFS INCREASE
2001. SHRI MANI A:
Will the Minister of COMMUNICATIONS be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has taken note that mobile recharge tariffs have increased significantly in recent months and are expected to rise further, placing additional financial burden on students, workers and low-income households and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether any assessment has been made of the impact of repeated tariff hikes on digital inclusion, access to online education, tele-health and Government digital services and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the current market structure and limited competition among telecom service providers is contributing to higher consumer prices and if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether the regulatory and policy measures are being considered to ensure affordable and universal access to mobile and data services, especially for rural and economically weaker sections and if so, the details thereof; and
(e) whether the Government proposes any price-monitoring mechanism, subsidy support or social tariff models to protect essential digital access for citizens and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT (DR. PEMMASANI CHANDRA SEKHAR)
(a) to (e) As per the existing regulatory framework, tariff including rates and related conditions is under forbearance except for national roaming, rural fixed line services and leased circuits, mobile number portability and USSD. Subject to compliance with extant regulatory provisions, service providers are free to design and offer tariffs based on their understanding of the market situation.
Service providers have the flexibility to decide various tariff components like the rates for different types of calls, SMS, data offers etc. with multiple combinations including recharge value and validity for different service areas of their operation.
Tariffs are offered by service providers taking into account several factors including input costs, level of competition and other commercial considerations, subject to their compliance with regulatory principles, which include, inter alia, the principles of transparency, non-predation and non-discrimination. It may be noted that adequate competition exists in the market with four telecom operators offering competitive plans in the market. It may also be noted that the Indian telecom tariffs are amongst the lowest in the world.
***** 1