Airtel has hiked the prices of its prepaid plans in India. The decision has led to an increase in the prices by up to 25%. The cheapest prepaid plan on the list now starts at Rs 99. Here’s a look at the new prices.
Airtel Prepaid Plans Prices Increased
It is revealed that the new prices will come into effect, starting November 26. The former Rs 79 plan is now priced at Rs 99. It now offers a talk time of Rs 99 (as opposed to the earlier Rs 64 talk time) and 200MB of data and comes with a validity of 28 days.
The Rs 149 plan is now priced at Rs 179. It continues to provide users with 2GB of data and unlimited calls. The SMS quota is now 100/day. It also comes with a validity of 28 days. The Rs 219 plan is now the Rs 265 one that offers 1GB of data/day, unlimited calls, and 100 SMS/day and has a validity of 28 days.
The Rs 299 plan (previously Rs 249) includes 1.5GB of data per day, unlimited calls, and 100 SMS/day for 28 days. As for the Rs 298 plan, it is now the Rs 359 plan, which comes with 2GB of data a day, 100 SMS/day, unlimited calls for 28 days. The Rs 399 plan is now priced at Rs 479 and offers 1.5GB of data a day, unlimited calls, and 100 SMS/day for 56 days. The Rs 449 prepaid plan now costs Rs 549 and offers 2GB of data per day and the same calling and SMS benefits as the aforementioned plans.
Additionally, the Rs 379 plan is now priced at Rs 455, the Rs 598 plan is now the Rs 719 plan, the Rs 698 plan is now priced at Rs 839, the Rs 1,498 plan is now the Rs 1,799 plan, and the Rs 2,498 plan now costs Rs 2,999. The Rs 48, Rs 98, and Rs 251 data packs’ prices have also increased. You can check out the table to know the details.
Airtel has revealed that the change is to maintain the mobile Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) at Rs 200 and then at Rs 300. This figure is said to provide a “reasonable return on capital that allows for a financially healthy business model and will enable the substantial investments required in networks and spectrum.” It is also for Airtel to easily roll out 5G in India.
While the drastic change is currently Airtel’s move, it remains unknown if other telecom operators such as Jio, Vi (Vodafone Idea) will follow the trail. There are chances that instead of increasing the prices, the other telcos might end up providing more benefits so as to attract more users.
