Bharti Airtel to Stop Jio from Grabbing 2G Subscribers by Launching Cheap 4G Phones

Follow Us

airtel-stop-jio-2g-subscribers-cheap-4g-phones
Bharti Airtel will soon be partnering with smartphone companies in India so that it can stop Reliance Jio from grabbing 2G users in the country. A recent report highlighted that Mukesh Ambani-owned Jio would soon launch cheap 4G phones running Android operating system.

This move will help Jio gaining a lot of new users and extend its lead in the subscriber market share. However, Airtel seems to be not sitting idle as the telco is exploring partnerships with local brands and considering multiple options like locked and unlocked devices.




Airtel Exploring Both Locked and Unlocked Smartphone Options

In India, there's no trend of locked smartphones. In the United States and several other Western markets, telecom operators partner with smartphone brands to launch devices bundled with tariff plans and monthly payment options. Now, Bharti Airtel is also exploring the same option in India. According to various source familiar with the matter, Airtel is currently exploring both locked and unlocked bundling of smartphones with various local Indian brands all though when we reached out to Airtel they did not respond to our queries.

As you might be aware of already, Reliance Jio is an LTE-only telco, whereas Airtel and Vodafone Idea are GSM operators. With the launch of affordable 4G phones in partnership with Google, Jio might take away the 2G and 3G users of Airtel and Vodafone Idea. Airtel is planning to tackle this move by partnering with local brands and providing affordable devices with bundled tariff plans to the subscribers. This will also help the telco convert its existing 2G userbase to 4G.

Airtel 5G Devices

Airtel is also planning to offer Fiber Plus Mesh plan which enables users to browse up to 300 Mbps speed till 500GB per month. Airtel is currently offering unlimited local and STD calls to any network across India. As per our sources, Airtel is also planning to bundle every service under one package rather than customers going for an independent plan including its future 5G offerings as well. Airtel is also having massive MIMO which is a key enabler for pre-5G technology that will make the network future ready for meeting the data demand.

Airtel Not Willing to Give Up on 2G Users Yet

In the past, we have seen Bharti Airtel partnering with local brand Celkon as part of 'Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative. Under the Mera Pehla Smartphone programme, Airtel offered 4G smartphones at an effective price. Customers had to make a down payment after which they will have to recharge monthly (specific amount) to keep the phone active. Our source did not reveal whether Airtel is planning to resume 'Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative or not. If Airtel's partnership with local brands is anywhere close to what overseas telcos are providing, it will attract a lot of first-time smartphone buyers.

Reported By

Managing Editor

Chakri is a go-to guy for your next smartphone recommendation. Back in his engineering days, he used to play with smartphones by installing custom ROMs and that passion got him into the tech industry. He still goes nuts about a smartphone knocking his door for review. Currently managing everything at Telecom Talk, Chakri is trying to master PUBG Mobile in his free time.

Recent Comments

Faraz :

Does Bharti Hexacom provide Airtel 5G services in N.E and Rajasthan Or Both are offering 5G seperately ? Who bought…

Bharti Hexacom IPO Set for April 3, TCIL to Sell…

Faraz :

Nice.. & BSNL 60 Mbps is even perfect plan for many if there are more than 5 devices connected. Many…

BSNL 60 Mbps Plan is Likely One of the Best…

Faraz :

Budget phones have degraded more than any other budget phones since pandemic. They are still selling some craps like Helio…

POCO C61 to Launch on March 26, 2024

shivraj roy :

i feel Vi has improved than what it was in 2022 i usually get around 8-10mbps in very heavily dense…

5G Users Consuming 3.6 Times More Data than 4G Users…

biswadeepmondal :

JioAir Fiber is working very well in KPA & HLR. Sadly they don't have any data only plan.

REP: Airtel Expands Network Footprint in Bankura District of West…

Load More
Subscribe
Notify of
58 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments