Hyderabad: Airtel has launched two new voice and SMS-only prepaid plans, mandated by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). These two plans, priced at Rs 499 and Rs 1,959, offer unlimited calling benefits along with SMS benefits for a validity of 84 days and 365 days, respectively.
This follows Airtel's removal of two prepaid plans, worth Rs 509 and Rs 1,999, from its website. The earlier listings suggested that Airtel revamped its existing plans by simply removing data benefits to make them voice and SMS-only prepaid packs. However, Airtel clarified in a statement to ETV Bharat that the plans were listed as visible on the website due to a "technical glitch", following which it took them down from the website.
The newly introduced voice and SMS-only plans worth Rs 499 and Rs 1,959 appear to replace the earlier offerings, giving users only calling and SMS benefits.
Airtel's new voice and SMS-only plans
Rs 499: This prepaid pack comes with unlimited calling and 900 SMS for a validity of 84 days.
Rs 1,959: This prepaid pack also comes with unlimited calling but offers 3,600 SMS for a validity of 365 days.
Both these packs have Airtel Rewards, including Apollo 24/7 Circle membership for three months and free Hello Tunes. Notably, Airtel is not offering access to Xstream app benefits with these plans, probably because these packs do not come with data benefits.
Comparison with old plans
Previously, there was a pack worth Rs 509 that offered the same benefits as the newly introduced Rs 499 plan. However, the former also offered 6GB of data. This means users only save Rs 10 for skipping on data benefits with the new plan. Meanwhile, Airtel customers need to spend Rs 121 if they want to top-up with 6GB of data. Additionally, the old plans came with Xstream benefits.
Similarly, there was a pack worth Rs 1,999 that offered the same benefits as the new Rs 19,59 plan but also came with 24GB of data. This means users save Rs 40 for skipping the data benefits. Notably, Airtel users need to recharge with Rs 161 data pack twice to get 24GB of data (12GB + 12GB).
To summarise, while the new voice and SMS-only plans are cheaper than the previous offerings, the trade-off value for data benefits seems inadequate, leading us to believe that they aren't value for money as we had initially hoped.
TRAI has taken note of these new voice and SMS-only plans and said that telecom operators will report them within seven working days. "The recently launched vouchers will be examined by TRAI as per extant regulatory provisions," it said.
