Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (commonly known as BSNL), the state-owned telecom service provider, has made a notable change to its existing recharge plan that costs Rs 197 for the pack. This prepaid recharge plan is visible on BSNL’s official website and reflects the company’s efforts to optimise user experience and revenue generation.
As per the new changes, the recharge plan, which earlier cost Rs 197, was a good choice for users who were looking forward to keeping their SIM active at a low cost, by offering modest data and calling benefits.
Old benefits of the BSNL Rs 197 prepaid recharge plan
Previously, the BSNL Rs 197 plan offered:
- 2GB of data per day
- Unlimited voice calling
- 100 SMS per day
- Validity of core benefits for the first 15 days
- Total plan validity will last for 70 days
Although the main benefits lasted only for 15 days, the extended validity of 70 days allowed users to keep their number active for over two months, making it suitable for secondary SIM users or light usage customers.
New benefits of BSNL Rs 197 plan
With the latest revision, BSNL has changed the plan as follows:
- 4GB of total data (one-time)
- 300 minutes of voice calling
- 100 SMS total
- Validity of all benefits: 54 days
This marks a shift in the approach of the telecom company. Instead of daily limits, BSNL is now offering bundled one-time resources that last the full validity period. It’s a more straightforward structure, and it may appeal to users with minimal daily needs who want longer benefit coverage.
BSNL’s broader strategy: Targeting 4G users
The change in this plan reflects BSNL’s efforts to improve its Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and attract different segments of the prepaid market. As the telco continues to roll out its 4G network, including a much-anticipated milestone of 1 lakh 4G sites, plans like these could serve as an entry point for new customers or low-data users.
As of June 2025, BSNL had already deployed over 92,000 4G sites and is expected to complete the remaining deployments by the end of July.