Airtel Counters Jio With New Price War – Offers Unlimited Calls, 1GB Data For Rs 93!

Only 42 days have passed in 2018, and within this short span, price battle within India’s telecom industry has reached the pinnacle.

After Reliance Jio offered unlimited calls and 2GB data for just Rs 98 this Republic Day, Airtel has come up with a new sub-Rs 100 plan, which is almost same as that of Jio, but with less data, and high on SMS.

BSNL too has joined in the battle, with unlimited data and voice for Rs 1099 per month.

In a related news, reports have emerged that Idea and Vodafone may rebrand themselves with a new name, once their merged entity starts operations in India.

Airtel: Unlimited Calls, 1GB Data Per Day For Rs 93!

Telecom price war of 2018 has already started, as Airtel has revised their pre-paid plans to counter Jio’s Rs 98 per month plan.

This way, we are now witnessing a new battle: The war of sub-Rs 100 plans.

While Jio is offering 2 GB data and unlimited calls for Rs 98 per month; Airtel is now offering unlimited calls and 1 GB data for Rs 93.

While Jio is offering a total of 300 SMSes, Airtel will offer 100 SMS per day for a month.

Hence, in order to compensate for the lesser data, Airtel has chosen to jack up SMSes per day, which will certainly charm a certain section of users (read commercial?)

Note here, that a month in both Jio and Airtel plans means 28 days, not full 30 days, which has almost become a ritual now.

Another note: Airtel’s Rs 93 plan is still not visible to all users. In Airtel’s own app, Rs 93 plan is reflecting unlimited calls and 1 GB data for just 10 days.

However, as reported by various sources, this new Rs 93 per month plan is applicable for some selected users as of now.

Idea-Vodafone To Change Their Names?

The merger between India’s 2nd and third largest telecom firms: Vodafone and Idea was one the biggest news of 2017.

Now, reports are emerging that once the transaction of the merger is over, the combined entity would rebrand themselves under a new name.

A senior consultant working on the new branding has said, “There will be a new brand identity — work has started on it,”

There has been no official statement on this from either Vodafone or Idea.

Some of the consulting agencies which are working on the merger are:

1. Aon: To sort out salary issues and HR leadership
2. Bain Consultants: Consulting on overall management strategies
3. Spencer Stuart: To finalize senior management roles and recruit them

While Idea has a stronghold in rural areas, Vodafone has an important presence in urban locations.

The new brand entity, hence, would have to consider these two facts.

We will keep you updated.