State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has introduced a new postpaid offering to take on competition from Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone. The new Rs. 299 BSNL plan offers benefits like 31GB data with an FUP, unlimited voice calling and 100 SMS per day. It will take on the Rs. 199 Jio plan as well as Airtel and Vodafone's Rs. 299 postpaid plans. The new BSNL plan comes close on the heels of new add-on packages announced last month, that offer users with additional high-speed data even after their monthly limits have ended.
Coming back to the new BSNL postpaid plan, the Rs. 299 plan is offered only to new customers and not to existing customers. The monthly plan offers 31GB data, unlimited voice calls to any network in service areas supported by BSNL (that means no Mumbai and Delhi circles), and 100 SMS per day. After the completion of data FUP, the speed will drop to 80Kbps. Telecom Talk reports that the consumer will have to pay extra GST charges over and above the Rs. 299 for the plan, and it is not inclusive of those charges, as is the case for postpaid plan by all operators. Furthermore, the new BSNL postpaid plan also does not have the option to carry forward unused data from the previous billing cycle to the next billing cycle.
As mentioned, the new monthly postpaid plan will compete with the Rs. 199 Jio postpaid plan that gives the user a total of 25GB 4G data, free unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS messages, and complimentary access to Jio's entire suite of apps for a standard bill cycle. Users can avail additional data at Rs. 20 per GB for the next 500GB. This plan entails a security deposit of Rs. 250 which is 100 percent refundable, and Jio Prime membership worth Rs. 99.
In comparison, the Rs. 299 Vodafone Red Basic postpaid plan offers 20GB data, unlimited voice calling, free incoming and outgoing on roaming, free subscription to Vodafone Play for 12 months, and 100 SMS messages (local and STD). Notably, there is data rollover benefit up to 50GB under the plan. Lastly, Airtel has a Rs. 399 postpaid plan that brings 20GB 3G/ 4G data per month benefits that come with rollover support up to 200GB. In addition to the additional data, the plan offers unlimited local, STD, and roaming calls as well as 100 SMS messages per day for the entire billing cycle.
Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.