Following a similar move by Jio, India's second-largest telecom operator, Airtel, has discontinued its cheapest 1GB daily data plan. This plan is no longer available on the Airtel website, and users who want 1GB of daily data must now recharge with the Rs 299 plan.
This change will mainly affect lower-income users who previously opted for the now-removed plan.
The old and new plans
The discontinued Airtel Rs 249 plan offered 1GB of daily data, unlimited voice calling, and 100 SMS per day for 24 days. It also included benefits like free HelloTunes, Perplexity Pro AI, and Xstream Play.
Users of this plan must now switch to the Rs 299 plan, which provides the same benefits—unlimited voice calling, 100 SMS per day, and 1GB of daily data—but with an extra 4 days of validity. For an additional Rs 50, users get an extra 4 days of validity and 4GB of data. This plan also includes the same additional benefits.
Recently, Jio also removed its Rs 249 plan, which offered 1GB of daily data for 28 days. Jio no longer has any plan with a 1GB daily data limit. Its cheapest 28-day plan now starts at Rs 299, offering 1.5GB of daily data.
Airtel sees opportunity for price hike
During a recent earnings call, Gopal Vittal, the Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, shared his thoughts on the pricing of data services in India. He pointed out that data prices in India are quite low compared to other countries, even those with lower average incomes.
Vittal explained that the way prices are set in India is unbalanced. He noted that at the basic service level, people already receive a lot of data, calls, and messaging for a low price. Because of this, many users see no reason to upgrade to more expensive plans. He added that it’s unfortunate that wealthier individuals are often paying less for services, while those who are less fortunate do not need to be charged more.
Airtel's recent actions completely contradict what Vittal believes!
ALSO READ: Mobile recharge gets costlier: India's top telco discontinues popular 1GB/day plan
