The leading telecom major Bharti Airtel has killed its base recharge plan of Rs 99 in 19 circles across Maharashtra and Kerala. Users in these cities will now have to pay for a costlier plan of Rs 155 to keep their working.
Starting in November 2022, Airtel began phasing out the Rs 99 plan. It began with Odisha and Haryana first and then in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Rajasthan and North East circles.
In what seems like an effort to streamline its base recharge plans across all circles, Airtel gradually might remove the Rs 99 recharge from its recharge portfolio entirely. Removal of the plan in these cities mean that users will now need to recharge with a minimum plan of Rs 155 to maintain active SIM card.
While the move is likely to upset some of Airtel’s subscribers who are used to the Rs 99 plan, it is expected to benefit the company in the long run. Encouraging subscribers to switch to higher-value plans can bring more revenue to the company.
What did Rs 99 Airtel recharge offer?
The Rs 99 Airtel recharge offered a talktime of Rs 99 at 2.5 paise per second and 200MB data for 28 days validity. It did not have any other benefits and was set as a base plan or minimum recharge plan to keep the SIM active.
The telcos introduced the minimum recharge plans in 2018 as additional charges that a subscriber has to pay despite having a minimum required balance in the phone. Airtel started with a mandatory recharge of Rs 35.
What does the new Rs 155 base plan offer?
The costlier base plan of Rs 155 offers users unlimited calling, 300 SMS, 1GB data for 24 days along with extra benefits of free Wynk Music and Hellotunes.