Taking on Jio GigaFiber, Airtel rolls-out unlimited broadband plans
In a bid to challenge Reliance's Jio GigaFiber which recently opened its registrations, Bharti Airtel has removed data limit on select monthly broadband plans in over 20 key markets. Until now, the telco had offered unlimited broadband plans in Hyderabad only, and by extending it to other major markets, Airtel aims to "retain its 2.4 million active wired broadband users." Here's more on this.
Airtel's unlimited broadband plans now available in over 20 cities
In Mumbai Rs. 699 and Rs. 1,999 plans offer unlimited data while in Ahmedabad, Infocity Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, and Surat, Rs. 499, Rs. 599, and Rs. 1,099 plans have no data limit. In Chandigarh, Delhi, Indore, Jaipur, Ghaziabad, and Kolkata, unlimited broadband is available on the Rs. 1,999 plan whereas in Agra, Ambala, and Karnal, the Rs. 499 and Rs. 1,999 plans offer unlimited data.
You also get free Amazon Prime membership with aforementioned plans
Over and above the massive data advantage, Airtel is offering other benefits such as Amazon Prime subscription, data rollover, and unlimited local and STD voice calls. Thus, with these benefits, Airtel is clearly looking to up the ante against the soon-to-be-launched Jio GigaFiber.
Technically, there is a data limit on these unlimited plans
While these plans are called unlimited data plans, technically there is a data limit. According to Airtel's terms and conditions, these plans are "only meant for personal and non-commercial use" and not intended for any commercial use. Moreover, the "Fair Usage Policy for the unlimited plans is capped at 3,333GB, post which customers can enjoy unlimited speeds at 1,024Kbps," says Airtel.
Airtel says it is ready to offer 1Gbps speeds on-demand
Speaking to The Economic Times, an Airtel executive said the telco's "entire home broadband network is now to be delivered on V-fibre that offers speeds up to 300 Mbps over Wi-Fi and the company is equipped to upgrade speeds to 1Gbps wherever customers need it."
