After removing the FUP limit on off-net voice calls, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea introduced three new prepaid plans to the customers offering at least 1GB daily data and up to 56 days validity. The three new prepaid plans in question are Rs 219, Rs 399 and Rs 449 which are already available for recharge. The Rs 219 prepaid recharge is the same Rs 169 plan which both the telcos used to offer before the price hike. So a price hike of Rs 50 has been applied to this plan. On the other hand, the Rs 399 and Rs 449 plans are the newest additions from both the telcos with 56 days validity. Airtel officially announced these plans on its social media handles, while we found out that the same plans have been launched by Vodafone Idea as well.
Airtel, Vodafone Idea Comes With Rs 219, Rs 399 and Rs 449 Prepaid Plans
For the first time in over three years, Reliance Jio seems to be in sight of bother, thanks to the aggressive approach from Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea. After hitting hard at the Mukesh Ambani-owned telco by removing the FUP limit on off-net calling, both the telcos introduced three new prepaid plans of Rs 219, Rs 399 and Rs 449.
Starting with the Rs 219 prepaid plan, it's the same Rs 169 plan which both the telcos used to offer in the past. As for the benefits, it comes with 1GB data per day, 100 SMSes per day and unlimited voice calling to any network without any FUP limit. Other benefits from Airtel include free Hello Tunes, Unlimited Wynk Music access and free Airtel Xstream App subscription, whereas Vodafone users get free access to Vodafone Play membership.
The Rs 399 prepaid offering from both the telcos come with 1.5GB data per day, 100 SMSes per day and unlimited voice calling to any network within India. The Rs 449 plan from Airtel and Vodafone Idea ships 2GB data per day and unlimited voice calling but differs in the text messages aspect. Airtel is providing 90 SMSes per day with the Rs 449 plan, while Vodafone Idea users get 100 SMSes per day for the same validity period of 56 days.
Both the Rs 399 and Rs 449 prepaid plans offer benefits for a period of 56 days from the date of recharge.
Rs 444 and Rs 399 Prepaid Plans from Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea Compared
Well, this might sound surprising, but Airtel and Vodafone Idea have the edge over Reliance Jio now with the Rs 399 and Rs 449 prepaid plans. Firstly, let's begin with the Rs 399 plan comparison; All the three telcos offer 1.5GB data per day, 100 SMSes per day and unlimited voice calling for 56 days. But in the voice calling department, Reliance Jio lags behind the competitors.
While Airtel and Vodafone Idea are providing unlimited voice calls to any network within India, Reliance Jio is capping the off-net voice calls. Jio's Rs 399 plan comes with just 2,000 non-Jio minutes, post which the calls made to other networks like Airtel, Vodafone Idea, BSNL and MTNL will be charged at six paise per minute. So after 2,000 minutes, Jio customers will have to perform a recharge of at least Rs 10 to make voice calls to other networks which is not the case with Airtel and Vodafone Idea.
Similar to Rs 399 prepaid plan, Jio's Rs 444 prepaid offering also comes with an off-net voice calling cap of 2,000 minutes. Reliance Jio's newly revised Rs 444 All-in-One prepaid plan comes with exactly the same benefits as the Rs 449 plan from Airtel and Vodafone Idea.
Vodafone Idea and Airtel Gain an Advantage Over Jio in This Aspect
Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea now have an advantage over Reliance Jio even in the prepaid segment. For three years now, Reliance Jio is dominating the prepaid segment, but with the FUP limit on off-net calling, the telco is in the backfoot. To recall, both Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea also imposed restriction of off-net calls with their revised prepaid plans. However, to everyone' surprise, both the telcos removed it, gaining the upper hand over Jio.
It will be exciting to see how Reliance Jio tackles this issue in the coming days, but for now, it's Airtel and Vodafone Idea enjoying the advantage.
