Airtel introduces voice and SMS-only prepaid plans starting at ₹166/month
What's the story
Bharti Airtel, one of India's leading telecom operators, has announced voice and SMS-only prepaid plans.
The move comes in response to guidelines issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).
Rather than launching new plans, Airtel has opted to restructure its existing ones to meet the regulatory requirements.
The revamped ₹509 prepaid plan now offers unlimited voice calls and 900 SMS over 84 days.
Plan #1
Airtel's ₹509 plan: What does it offer
The ₹509 prepaid plan now only caters to voice and SMS services, ditching the earlier 6GB of data. This is clearly visible on Airtel's official website.
Even with this change, the subscribers will continue to get added benefits like content access on Airtel Xstream App, Apollo 24/7 Circle membership, and free Hello Tunes.
The plan effectively costs about ₹170 per month.
Plan #2
Yearly prepaid plan at ₹1,999
For long-term commitment seekers, Airtel has updated its ₹1,999 yearly prepaid plan.
The offering comes with unlimited voice calls and 3,600 SMS over a validity of 365 days.
Just like the ₹509 plan, the data element - 24GB previously - has been stripped from this offer.
Users of this plan will also get free access to Airtel Xstream App content, Apollo 24/7 Circle membership benefits and Hello Tunes.
The monthly cost of this annual plan comes to around ₹166.