Bharti Airtel cuts 3G mobile data prices in India

Slash prices by 70% under some plans

Bharti Airtel, India's top mobile phone operator, on Thursday cut prices of its third-generation (3G) mobile data services by about 70% under some plans, a company statement showed, in a move to boost usage of the premium services in the country.

Bharti and its rivals in the country started 3G services last year after spending a total more than $12 billion to buy airwaves in an auction.

But take-off of the services, which allow faster Internet on phones and video calls, has been slower than expected, partly due to high prices.