Telecom operators ring in varied plans for next phase of growth

The move to weed out low-revenue users cost the telco 14 million subscribers in Q1 and analysts predict further erosion, as they feel the strategy may have backfired

After the first quarter results, telecom operators have opted for different strategies for the next phase of growth following change in consumption patterns of their respective subscriber bases.

Vodafone Idea, which lost more than 14 million customers in the last few months, is trying to arrest the fall now by wooing its prepaid customers through offers. Jio has taken a middle ground and says its focus is on gaining subscribers and monetisation through premiumisation would come later. It has both JioPhone offerings as well as bundled plans, including OTT, among others. 

Bharti Airtel is clearly wooing data customers, through Airtel Black and