Idea Cellular Cuts 3G Tariffs by 70%

After Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular became the second operator in India to have slashed its 3G tariffs in order to draw demand.

The operator slashed its tariffs on its gold standard 3G services by up to 70 percent and introduced 'try and buy' sachet packs at Rs 10 and Rs 25.

The services, which were launched across the country last year, have failed to pick up so far due to high prices.

"Idea prepaid and postpaid customers will now pay 3 paise per 10 KB of data, a reduction of 70 percent from the earlier levels of 10 paise per 10 KB," the company said in a statement.

"The new tariff plan aims to make internet usage within the reach of rural, mid town customers at home and will help first time users to experience the benefits of 3G. Idea's objective is to drive mobile internet usage for the mass market," it added.

There will be three offerings for the customers — sachet packs, regular packs and unlimited packs.

The Rs 10 sachet pack will offer 30 minutes of high speed internet surfing while the Rs 25 pack — HERO-25 — will offer 100 MB data with three days validity.

"Our new sachet packs of Rs 10 and HERO-25 are aimed at youngsters who will access high speed internet on-the-go without worrying about the expense," said Sashi Shankar, chief marketing officer, Idea Cellular.

For regular home users, Idea offers 1GB of data download at Rs 250. For corporates, Idea has unlimited plan priced at Rs 950.

Idea has 2.7 million active 3G users with average usage of 330 MB per month.