Brands
Rahul Nag exits Pocket FM after four years shaping brand narrative
Communications leader departs after building audio platform’s global identity
MUMBAI: Pocket FM director – brands, communications and partnerships Rahul Nag has stepped down after a four-year stint, marking the end of a key chapter in the company’s brand-building journey.
In a reflective note, Pocket FM director – brands, communications and partnerships Rahul Nag described his tenure as “a bet on a story” that evolved into a globally recognised audio entertainment brand. He highlighted his role in shaping not just the company’s communications strategy but also the broader “audio series” category in India.
Joining in April 2022 as the first member of the communications function, Nag built the vertical from scratch, scaling it into a lean, high-impact team. His work spanned corporate storytelling, creator-led narratives and investor communication across India and the US, as the company transitioned through rapid growth and profitability phases.
“Pocket FM director – brands, communications and partnerships Rahul Nag said, ‘I helped shape more than a brand. I helped define a category,’” he noted, pointing to the platform’s evolution from a content app to a global storytelling brand sitting at the intersection of culture, technology and entertainment.
Nag also credited founders Rohan Nayak and Nishanth S., along with leadership including Prateek Dixit, for backing the long-term narrative-building approach that drove brand recall and consistency.
Before Pocket FM, Nag led communications at ShareChat during a period of hyper-growth and regulatory scrutiny. He also handled corporate communications at Mindtree Ltd during the high-profile L&T takeover battle, and held roles at Flock App.
His career has largely revolved around navigating high-stakes narratives, from crisis management to category creation, often during moments of intense business transition.
Nag exits at a time when Pocket FM is doubling down on global expansion and AI-led content innovation, leaving behind a communications framework that helped the brand move from being heard to being remembered. As he signs off, his next move remains undisclosed, but by his own telling, it is simply “on to the next story”.
Brands
Airtel, Jio, Vi quietly raise tariffs with tweaks ahead of major hike
Airtel, Jio and Vi test subscriber response with subtle plan changes
NEW DELHI: India’s top telecom operators, including Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, are quietly reworking their prepaid plans in what appears to be a calculated run-up to a broader tariff hike expected later this year.
Rather than announcing headline-grabbing price increases, the operators are opting for subtle tweaks that are less likely to trigger immediate consumer backlash. Industry observers describe this as a “testing the waters” approach, where small changes help gauge subscriber sensitivity while gradually improving revenues.
Among the most visible moves is plan pruning. Airtel has discontinued its popular Rs 799 pack, widely seen as a high-value offering, while nudging up the price of its Rs 859 plan to Rs 899. The changes may seem marginal, but across millions of users, they translate into meaningful revenue gains.
Reliance Jio, on its part, has taken a sharper route by slashing the validity of its Rs 195 plan from 90 days to just 30 days. The price remains unchanged, but the value per day has dropped steeply, effectively raising costs for consumers without altering headline tariffs.
Meanwhile, Vodafone Idea is restructuring its “NonStopHero” packs, limiting unlimited data benefits to night hours in several circles. The move trims usage flexibility while keeping plan positioning largely intact.
Another common tactic is bundling. Operators are increasingly pairing plans with OTT subscriptions such as streaming services, framing price adjustments as value additions even when the core offering remains largely unchanged.
The broader goal behind these moves is to lift ARPU (Average Revenue Per User), a key profitability metric in the telecom business. Airtel is targeting an ARPU of around Rs 300, up from roughly Rs 250, while Jio is under pressure to demonstrate stronger revenue growth ahead of a potential IPO. For Vodafone Idea, the urgency is more immediate as it seeks higher cash flows to fund 5G expansion and manage outstanding dues.
Industry estimates suggest that these incremental changes are a precursor to a larger, industry-wide tariff hike of 15 to 20 per cent, likely towards the end of 2026. The delay in announcing a full-scale increase is partly due to macroeconomic concerns, including inflation and volatile fuel prices, which could dampen consumer sentiment.
The push to monetise 5G is also gathering pace. After investing more than Rs 3 lakh crore in next-generation networks, operators are expected to gradually phase out free 5G data and reposition it as a premium service.
For consumers, the impact is already visible in small but steady increases in monthly bills. For telcos, however, this is a carefully choreographed build-up, easing users into higher spending before the bigger pricing reset arrives.
