- Jio last raised tariffs in July 2024, increasing its 1.5 GB daily plan to Rs 299
- Jio Prime membership offers price guarantee until 2027, signaling possible future hikes
- Jio's ARPU growth has slowed, with June 2026 ARPU at Rs 215.6, below Airtel's Rs 264
More than two years have passed since Jio last raised mobile tariffs. When it did, in July 2024, its 1.5 GB-a-day monthly plan went up by a quarter, to Rs 299 from Rs 239.
No new increase has been announced. But the company's own customer offers, the numbers in its IPO prospectus and the expectations of several brokerages suggest the next round may not be far off, now that Jio will answer to public shareholders every quarter.
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The Clue In Jio's Own Offer
The clearest signal comes from Jio itself. In August, it relaunched Jio Prime, a membership that costs a one-time Rs 300.
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Its main benefit is what Jio calls a price guarantee. According to the company's website, members can keep recharging their current plan at today's price until Sept. 5, 2027, regardless of any future price revisions. Members also get Rs 300 in cashback vouchers for a new JioHome or JioPC connection, priority customer support and early access to some new services.
In other words, Jio is charging customers a fee to protect them from a price increase it has not announced. That protection is only worth paying for if prices are likely to go up.
Why A Hike May Be On Cards
Jio's average revenue per user (ARPU) jumped after the July 2024 increase, to Rs 206.2 a month in the March 2025 quarter from Rs 181.7 a year earlier, according to its IPO prospectus. Since then, growth has slowed sharply. ARPU was Rs 214 in the March 2026 quarter and Rs 215.6 in the June quarter, only 3.3% higher than a year before.
Pressure from its main rival could also nudge Jio towards considering a tariff hike. Bharti Airtel reported an ARPU of Rs 264 in the same June quarter. On that basis, Jio earns about 18% less from each customer than its main rival, though the two companies calculate ARPU slightly differently.
Another factor supporting a potential tariff hike is that data usage has grown much faster than bills. Monthly data use per Jio customer rose to 43.7 GB in the June quarter, from 28.7 GB in the March 2024 quarter. That is a 52% increase, while ARPU rose about 19% over the same period. As a result, customers now pay about Rs 4.9 for each gigabyte, down from about Rs 6.3.
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What Brokerages Expect
A couple of brokerages have linked the IPO to potentially higher tariffs. In a sector report last December, JM Financial Institutional Securities said Jio's plan to list had materially improved the chances of a tariff hike of about 15%, Business Standard reported at the time. The brokerage estimated that average revenue per user across the industry would need to reach Rs 270 to Rs 300 by FY28 for telecom companies to earn reasonable returns on their 5G investments.
More recently, Centrum said in a report this month that it expects tariffs to rise 12% over the next three to four months. The brokerage pointed to limited competition in what the industry calls a "3+1" market, with three private operators and one state-run company.
The table below shows what three of the plans Jio lists among its popular options cost today, according to its website, and what they would cost if prices rose by 12% or 15%, the range brokerages expect. These are illustrations, not announced prices.
| Plan | Price today | With a 12% rise | With a 15% rise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5 GB/day, 28 days | Rs 299 | Rs 335 | Rs 344 |
| 2 GB/day, 28 days | Rs 349 | Rs 391 | Rs 401 |
| 2.5 GB/day, 365 days | Rs 3,599 | Rs 4,031 | Rs 4,139 |
Prices from jio.com on October 27, 2026, rounded to the nearest rupee. The 12% and 15% columns are illustrations based on brokerage expectations, not announced prices.
Notably, Jio has not said whether or when it will raise prices. When the telco last raised tariffs in 2024, it presented the move as a way to fund investment in 5G and artificial intelligence, while describing affordable internet as the backbone of a digital India.
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