State-run telecom operator, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited or BSNL, has managed to beat private telcos Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea with its Rs 198 prepaid data STV. For the unaware, BSNL has a data-only STV of Rs 198 and it now offers a whopping 108GB of data benefit for a period of 54 days. In contrast, Airtel is offering a Rs 175 data-only plan for prepaid users which provides just 6GB of data benefit, while Reliance Jio has a Rs 251 data recharge that ships with 2GB daily data for 51 days. Vodafone Idea is also providing a similar Rs 175 data recharge which again ships with 6GB of data benefit for a period of 28 days. That said, BSNL's data-only STV of Rs 198 is the go-to plan for users looking for a heavy data plan under Rs 200. Do make a note that the price of Rs 198 STV may differ with every circle, so make sure you check the benefits of the plan on recharge portal.
BSNL Data STV 198 Takes on Reliance Jio Rs 251 Recharge
There are two STVs which BSNL has revised in its latest move, and the first of them is the STV 47. This STV used to offer unlimited local and STD calling to all circles except Mumbai and Delhi. This plan used to come with a validity of 11 days. BSNL has done an impressive update to this plan and made it attractive for its prepaid users. In the revised plan, BSNL is offering the same unlimited local and STD calling to the users, but along with this, the prepaid subscribers will also get 1GB data for the entire validity period. Also, the validity of this plan has been cut short by two days, and now the STV is valid for nine days.
The next STV which has been rationalised by the state-led telecom operator is the STV 198. Until now, this STV by BSNL used to provide 1.5GB data per day along with PRBT with an after FUP speed of 40 Kbps. The validity of this plan was 28 days. However, now BSNL has done a massive change to this plan as the telco has directly doubled the validity of this STV to provide 54 days of service instead of 28 days. Also, the data offering has been increased to 2GB per day. This means that the Rs 198 STV which used to offer 42GB total data in the validity period, will now be providing 108GB data to the subscribers.
BSNL Offer Providing 2.21GB Daily Additional Data Extended
In another consumer-centric move, BSNL’s offer which avails 2.21GB of additional data per day to the users has also been extended. The offer was scheduled to end on April 31, but BSNL announced that it would be extending the offer till October 31, 2019. Under this plan, select STVs like Rs 186 plan which used to offer 1GB will now offer 3.21GB data per day. Similarly, other plans which offer 1.5GB data per day will offer 3.71GB per day, and plans with 2GB daily data limit will offer 4.21GB daily data limit.
BSNL STV 198 vs Jio Rs 251 Recharge
Reliance Jio has a Rs 251 prepaid recharge that is providing 2GB daily data for a period of 51 days. However, BSNL's data STV of Rs 198 offers the same 2GB daily data for 54 days. So BSNL's plan is not only cheaper but it also provides 6GB extra data. Also, as mentioned above, the price of BSNL's STV 198 differs with every circle, so make sure to check the benefits of the plan before proceeding for recharge. Another thing worth noting is Jio's data benefit is complete 4G whereas BSNL is providing just 3G data.