BSNL is the only telecom operator in India right now which is providing attractive prepaid plans under Rs 100. The private telcos, including Reliance Jio, removed the combo prepaid plans under Rs 100 to generate revenue. An average Reliance Jio prepaid user looking for a monthly prepaid plan with non-Jio voice calling will have to shell out at least Rs 108 (Rs 98+Rs10) every month. On the flip side, Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel are offering minimum recharge plans starting at Rs 35. State-run BSNL has a total of five prepaid plans under Rs 100 right now which ship with voice calling, data and SMS benefits for a certain period. BSNL is providing two Freedom Chhota plans, two prepaid STVs and one voice calling plan under Rs 100. And the sad part is all the prepaid plans have the 250 minutes voice calling cap.
BSNL Freedom Chhota Plans of Rs 9 and Rs 29 Detailed
BSNL has a Freedom Chhota prepaid plan of Rs 9 that offers benefits of 250 minutes of voice calls, 100MB data and 100 SMSes for one day. The Freedom Chhota 29 plan comes with unlimited voice calls, 300 SMSes and 1GB of 3G/2G data benefit for seven days. Yes, the Rs 29 pack is valid for seven days from the date of recharge and it's the best plan for the users looking for a basic prepaid recharge on budget. Do make a note that the voice calling benefit will not be applicable while in roaming in Mumbai and Delhi circles.
BSNL Rs 61 and Rs 89 STVs Detailed
After the Freedom Chhota 29 plan, BSNL has a Rs 61 prepaid STV that offers benefits for 15 calendar days. The plan offers unlimited voice calling (again capped at 250 minutes per day), 2GB of data and 500 SMSes for 15 days. Next up, there's the STV 89 which also provides similar benefits as the STV 61, but the data benefit is 10GB, unlike the 2GB data we get on the latter. Both the STV 89 and STV 61 offer benefits for 15 days from the date of recharge.
BSNL Combo 99 Prepaid Plan Benefits Detailed
Lastly, we have the BSNL Combo 99 prepaid recharge which offers benefits for 22 days. Sadly, this plan does not offer SMS and data benefits, instead, it ships with unlimited voice calling benefit capped at 250 minutes per day. BSNL subscribers can also avail free Personalised Ringback Tone (PRBT) with this recharge for the entire validity period. The STV 61, STV 89 and Combo 99 plans do not offer voice calling benefit while in Mumbai and Delhi circles.
BSNL Continues to Cap Voice Calls at 250 Minutes per Day
Back in August this year, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited or BSNL made a major move in the industry by introducing daily voice calling cap. When Reliance Jio entered the Indian market back in 2016, incumbent telcos- Airtel and Vodafone Idea used to cap voice calls to 250 minutes per day and 1000 minutes per week. But with the rapid expansion of VoLTE or Voice over LTE service, Airtel and Vodafone Idea removed the daily & weekly voice calling limit.
Since BSNL does not have 4G VoLTE services, it has started capping voice calls to 250 minutes per day now. This move is not an appreciated one, but it will at least save some costs to the telco. BSNL is expected to increase tariff prices next week and we may see the telco removing voice calling limit as well. But for now, the majority of the unlimited combo plans from BSNL has the limitation of 250 minutes voice calling.
