Airtel Hikes Prepaid Plan By 61%, Removes Rs 49 Plan; Rs 79 Now Minimum Prepaid Plan

By Arpita Last updated Jul 29, 2021

Bharti Airtel has discontinued its Rs 49 plan for low-income customers on its network and raised the entry point of its prepaid tariffs to Rs 79

Following up on its changes in the corporate postpaid segment, Bharti Airtel has discontinued its Rs 49 plan for low-income customers on its network and raised the entry point of its prepaid tariffs to Rs 79, signalling the start of a concerted push to raise effective tariffs in a bid to increase average revenue per user.

”Airtel has discontinued its ?49 entry-level Prepaid recharge. The company’s Prepaid packs will now start from the ?79 Smart Recharge and offer up to four times more outgoing minutes of usage to customers along with double data. This change is in line with the company’s focus on offering superior connectivity solutions. Airtel customers on entry-level recharge can now stay connected for longer without worrying about their account balance,” said the company in a statement on Wednesday. The revision is effective from July 29, 2021.

Airtel Special Benefits For Low-income Customers

Bharti Airtel previously started Rs 49 pack for the special benefits for low-income customers on its network to help them stay connected during the ongoing pandemic. Airtel has previously mentioned that it aims to provide the Rs 49 pack free of charge to over 5.5 crore low-income customers as a one-time gesture.

“Through this gesture Airtel will empower over 55 million customers, mostly in rural areas, to stay connected and have access to critical information when needed,” said a company statement.

Airtel Revises Prepared Plans

Initially, the ?49 pack offered users 100 MB of data and ?38 worth of talk time with a validity of 28 days.

However, the Rs 79 plan now has a 28-day validity period, 64 minutes of talk time, and 200 MB of data. Customers can get up to four times more outgoing minutes and double data with this plan. The plan has been revised and will go into force on Thursday, July 29, 2021.

“This change is in line with the Company’s focus on offering superior connectivity solutions. Airtel customers on entry-level recharge can now stay connected for longer without worrying about their account balance,” Airtel said.