A bad news is coming for crores of mobile users of Bharti Airtel. Making a major change in its recharge portfolio, the telecom giant has quietly discontinued 4 of its most popular and cheapest prepaid recharge plans. After this change, made without any prior announcement, these plans have now completely disappeared from the Airtel Thanks App and the company's official website. The discontinued plans also include the most popular monthly data pack of Rs 299, which was used extensively by middle income group users. This sudden step taken by Airtel will have a direct impact on the pockets of those users who wanted daily data and calling facility at low cost.
1. Which 4 recharge plans were stopped?
The 4 recharge plans that the company has removed from its list include data-only packs to plans with unlimited calling and daily data:
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Rs 299 plan: This was Airtel's best-selling plan with a validity of 28 days. In this, 1.5GB data per day, unlimited local and STD calling and 100 SMS were available daily.
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Rs 179 plan: This entry-level unlimited calling plan was great for those who use less data. In this, a total of 2GB data and free calling was available with a validity of 28 days.
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Rs 455 plan: This was an affordable plan of 84 days for users who prefer long validity. In this, a total of 6GB data, unlimited calling and 900 SMS facility was provided.
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Rs 359 plan: This was a data-heavy plan, in which users got unlimited calling facility with 2.5GB data per day for 28 days.
2. What options do users have now after the plans are discontinued?
After the closure of these cheap and popular plans, now users will have to loosen their pockets a little more to get recharge done.
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Now pack worth Rs 349 instead of Rs 299: After the removal of the Rs 299 plan, now users will have to recharge at least Rs 349 to get 1.5GB data per day and 28 days validity.
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Plan of Rs 199 instead of Rs 179: Basic calling users will now have to spend Rs 199 instead of Rs 179, which will provide only calling and limited data for 28 days.
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Efforts to increase Average Revenue Per User (ARPU): Experts believe that Airtel is adopting this strategy to increase its average revenue per user (ARPU) and shift customers towards higher-tier plans.
3. There will be a direct impact on the pockets of users
Many customers are expressing their displeasure on social media due to Airtel removing these plans without issuing any official statement. With the end of cheap plans, it is certain to spoil the budget of those users who wanted to keep their mobile number active with limited expenditure every month. Now it remains to be seen whether other rival telecom companies like Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) also take such a step or whether Airtel's decision impacts their user base.