National
ETV Bharat / technology
By ETV Bharat Tech Team
Published : Jan 22, 2025, 3:40 PM IST
Hyderabad: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) mandated telecom companies to offer recharge plans exclusively for voice calls and messages without any compulsion to buy internet data. Indian telecom service provider Bharti Airtel has revised two of its existing prepaid plan offerings to comply with the new guidelines.
Notably, the operator simply removed data benefits to make them voice and SMS-only packs. Since these prepaid plans now offer fewer benefits and cost the same as before, this move could be interpreted as a kind of tariff hike. Let’s get into the details.
Airtel’s Rs 509 prepaid plan
Airtel has revised its Rs 509 prepaid plan to offer unlimited voice calls and 900 SMS for a validity period of 84 days. The plan does not come with any data benefit, fulfilling TRAI’s requirement of companies serving voice and SMS-only packs for people who do not need data benefits. Earlier, this pack used to offer 6GB of data.
Apart from unlimited voice calls and 900 SMS for 84 days, the Rs 509 plan comes with additional Airtel rewards, including free content streaming on the Airtel Xstream app, Apollo 24/7 circle membership, and free access to Hello Tunes.
Airtel’s Rs 1,999 prepaid plan
Airtel has also revised a long-validity prepaid plan to offer only voice and SMS benefits. The company’s Rs 1,999 plan comes with unlimited voice calls and 3,600 SMS for a validity of 365 days. This pack no longer include data benefits even though it used to offer 24GB of data previously. Other benefits attached to this plan include free access to the Airtel Xstream app, Hello Tunes, and Apollo 24/7 circle membership.
TRAI’s voice and SMS-only plan guideline
TRAI says that 150 million Indians still use feature phones and do not always need internet packs, emphasising the need for non-data-specific recharge plans. Consultations revealed that many users, such as senior citizens, families with home broadband, and non-tech-savvy individuals, prefer voice and SMS without bundled data. As a result, TRAI mandated voice and SMS-only plans to cater to these preferences.
Hyderabad: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) mandated telecom companies to offer recharge plans exclusively for voice calls and messages without any compulsion to buy internet data. Indian telecom service provider Bharti Airtel has revised two of its existing prepaid plan offerings to comply with the new guidelines.
Notably, the operator simply removed data benefits to make them voice and SMS-only packs. Since these prepaid plans now offer fewer benefits and cost the same as before, this move could be interpreted as a kind of tariff hike. Let’s get into the details.
Airtel’s Rs 509 prepaid plan
Airtel has revised its Rs 509 prepaid plan to offer unlimited voice calls and 900 SMS for a validity period of 84 days. The plan does not come with any data benefit, fulfilling TRAI’s requirement of companies serving voice and SMS-only packs for people who do not need data benefits. Earlier, this pack used to offer 6GB of data.
Apart from unlimited voice calls and 900 SMS for 84 days, the Rs 509 plan comes with additional Airtel rewards, including free content streaming on the Airtel Xstream app, Apollo 24/7 circle membership, and free access to Hello Tunes.
Airtel’s Rs 1,999 prepaid plan
Airtel has also revised a long-validity prepaid plan to offer only voice and SMS benefits. The company’s Rs 1,999 plan comes with unlimited voice calls and 3,600 SMS for a validity of 365 days. This pack no longer include data benefits even though it used to offer 24GB of data previously. Other benefits attached to this plan include free access to the Airtel Xstream app, Hello Tunes, and Apollo 24/7 circle membership.
TRAI’s voice and SMS-only plan guideline
TRAI says that 150 million Indians still use feature phones and do not always need internet packs, emphasising the need for non-data-specific recharge plans. Consultations revealed that many users, such as senior citizens, families with home broadband, and non-tech-savvy individuals, prefer voice and SMS without bundled data. As a result, TRAI mandated voice and SMS-only plans to cater to these preferences.
Hyderabad: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) mandated telecom companies to offer recharge plans exclusively for voice calls and messages without any compulsion to buy internet data. Indian telecom service provider Bharti Airtel has revised two of its existing prepaid plan offerings to comply with the new guidelines.
Notably, the operator simply removed data benefits to make them voice and SMS-only packs. Since these prepaid plans now offer fewer benefits and cost the same as before, this move could be interpreted as a kind of tariff hike. Let’s get into the details.
Airtel’s Rs 509 prepaid plan
Airtel has revised its Rs 509 prepaid plan to offer unlimited voice calls and 900 SMS for a validity period of 84 days. The plan does not come with any data benefit, fulfilling TRAI’s requirement of companies serving voice and SMS-only packs for people who do not need data benefits. Earlier, this pack used to offer 6GB of data.
Apart from unlimited voice calls and 900 SMS for 84 days, the Rs 509 plan comes with additional Airtel rewards, including free content streaming on the Airtel Xstream app, Apollo 24/7 circle membership, and free access to Hello Tunes.
Airtel’s Rs 1,999 prepaid plan
Airtel has also revised a long-validity prepaid plan to offer only voice and SMS benefits. The company’s Rs 1,999 plan comes with unlimited voice calls and 3,600 SMS for a validity of 365 days. This pack no longer include data benefits even though it used to offer 24GB of data previously. Other benefits attached to this plan include free access to the Airtel Xstream app, Hello Tunes, and Apollo 24/7 circle membership.
TRAI’s voice and SMS-only plan guideline
TRAI says that 150 million Indians still use feature phones and do not always need internet packs, emphasising the need for non-data-specific recharge plans. Consultations revealed that many users, such as senior citizens, families with home broadband, and non-tech-savvy individuals, prefer voice and SMS without bundled data. As a result, TRAI mandated voice and SMS-only plans to cater to these preferences.
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