Hyderabad: Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, and Vi (Vodafone Idea) have introduced new calling and SMS-only prepaid packs. This follows guidelines issued by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), which aims to ensure that consumers who do not require data services are not compelled to pay for bundled data plans. This is why these new recharge plans only offer calling and SMS benefits and do not include data. Let's take a detailed look at these newly launched recharge plans from Airtel, Jio, and Vi.
Airtel's new voice and SMS-only plans
Rs 448 Prepaid Plan:Airtel's new prepaid plan worth Rs 448 offers unlimited voice calls and 900 SMS. The pack comes with a validity of 84 days. It also offers three months of Apollo 24/7 Circle membership and free Hello Tunes.
Rs 1,849 Prepaid Plan:The new yearly prepaid plan of Rs 1,849 from Airtel offers unlimited voice calls and 3,600 SMS messages with a validity of 365 days. It also includes the Apollo 24/7 Circle membership for three months and free Hello Tunes.
Notably, Airtel first updated its existing Rs 509 and Rs 1,999 prepaid plans, removing data benefits to make them voice and SMS-only packs. However, the company removed these packs by the end of the day, calling them a result of a technical glitch. Later, Airtel released new packs worth Rs 499 and Rs 1,959, offering users unlimited voice calls. While the former came with 900 SMS and a validity of 84 days, the latter offered 3,600 SMS and a validity of 365 days. The company has now updated these plans once more to offer cheaper prepaid packs.
Jio's new voice and SMS-only plans
Rs 448 Prepaid Plan:Jio's new prepaid plan worth Rs 448 comes with unlimited calling and 1,000 SMS. The pack is valid for 84 days. Additional benefits include access to Jio apps, such as JioTV, JioCloud, and JioCinema (non-premium version).