With the launch of new unlimited plans every day, the rate cutter and special tariff vouchers (STVs) have lost their significance. The unlimited plans seem to be the norm now for every operator. Every telecom operator is now focusing only on unlimited plans and planning to move to 4G. Such is the intensity of competition that incumbents have started tieing up with each other. Thanks to Reliance Jio, India is witnessing an abrupt change in plan pricing and plans are user-friendly now.
We now have an unlimited plan at Rs.146 from Telenor. The Rs. 146 plan offers unlimited calling with a daily 1GB data limit for 28 days. The speed falls after the limit of 1GB data same as Jio. Although the network is a bit of a concern with Telenor. Reliance Jio has just revised the Rs. 309 unlimited plan which offers 1GB data per day and truly unlimited calls for 56 days. This translates to a daily cost of Rs. 5.52.
How about a plan priced at just Rs. 5 per day? Assume a Rs. 5 per day plan will offer 1GB data and unlimited calls for one complete day. And the SMS begin restricted to 100 per day as per the order by TRAI.
This Rs.5 will be deducted from the user's main account balance. There will be no charge for a day if the user makes no outgoing call and SMS and no data usage. Although the user will receive incoming calls and SMS free of any charge. Rs.5 will be deducted on Pro rata daily basis if and only if the user makes any outgoing call, SMS or data usage during the day.
Above plan may seem a bit impossible to implement for operators now. But with the cut throat pricing in the market today, the plan may see the light of the day in the near future.
TRAI has decided to discuss tariff floor price with telecom companies on July 21. The minimum floor price, for both data and voice calls, has been demanded by a section of incumbent telecom operators, but implementing it could mean an end to freebies for the users.It also said it is set to release within a week the new mobile service quality norms covering call drops. "We are almost ready with revised standards for quality of service (for mobile phones). It will be issued within a week," TRAI Chairman RS Sharma told in an interview. We hope to see cheaper plans and improvement in the quality of service from all the operators soon.
