Idea Cellular subscribers in most of the circles across the country would now pay Rs 0.04 per 10 KB after exhausting their free data usage limit. Earlier, the operator used to charge a customer Rs 0.02 per 10 KB, for using data beyond the prescribed limit.
Idea follows Vodafone India which raised tariffs on a similar basis recently.
The revised rates are applicable for both prepaid and post-paid Idea users subscribing to the pay-as-you-go usage model.
Prior to this, Idea Cellular had revised data tariffs for its prepaid and post-paid customers twice in 2013. However, this is the first instance of an upward revision by the operator.
In July 2013, it reduced tariff to Rs 0.02 paise per 10 Kb from Rs 0.02 paise for 1 Kb, for three months, as a promotional offer in eight circles of Tamil Nadu and Chennai, Karnataka, Kolkata, West Bengal, Assam, Northeast, Bihar and Odisa. In November 2013, the scheme was extended to all states.
Recently, Idea has also introduced ‘no bill shock combo plan’ for its postpaid subscribers across four service areas – Maharashtra & Goa, Uttar Pradesh (East), Mumbai and Delhi. The plan allows users to cap usage-linked expenses.
Under this plan, data speed gets automatically downgraded once the predefined usage is exhausted, and subscribers can opt for a speed booster to restore the original speed, which will be valid for the current bill cycle. Idea’s ‘no bill shock plans’ are offered at Rs 199 and Rs 275 for 2G data and at Rs 249, Rs 399 and Rs 549 for 3G data usage. In addition to data usage, all of these plans come with benefits of local and STD voice minutes and SMS.
Idea Cellular has become the second operator after Bharti Airtel to introduce such a plan.
