High consumption at rock-bottom tariffs killing telcos: Sunil Mittal

'We are unnecessarily killing this industry in a manner and way that is not conducive for our industry, and that's why we need Trai intervention,' Mittal added

Billionaire Sunil Bharti Mittal on Thursday said a combination of rock-bottom tariffs and high consumption is killing the telecom industry and sector regulator Trai needs to urgently intervene to strike a balance between the needs for protecting investments and consumer interest.

"...But, I think we need to have a balance between requirement of investments and consumer on the other side," Mittal, chairman of Bharti Airtel, told reporters after a pre-Budget meeting between Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and corporate leaders.

"My view is Rs 200 ARPU (average revenue per user) is eventually going to Rs 300 ARPU... At the lower end,