Jio Effect: Airtel Rs. 499 Postpaid Plan Now Offering 75GB of Data

Airtel has reportedly revamped its Rs. 499 postpaid plan to offer 87.5 percent more data to its subscribers. The Airtel Rs. 499 plan falls under the 'Best Selling Postpaid Plans' under MyPlan Infinity that also has other offerings worth Rs. 399, Rs. 649, Rs. 799, and Rs. 1,199. To recall, the telco had recently revamped its plan worth Rs. 649 to offer 90GB of data. While the other plans remain unchanged, the refreshed Rs. 499 plan is said to now offer 75GB of data to postpaid subscribers. Previously, the same Airtel plan offered 40GB of 3G/ 4G data to its customers. For comparison, Jio only has one postpaid plan worth Rs. 199 that offers 25GB data to its subscribers.

Under the new Airtel Rs. 499 plan, apart from the 75GB of data per month, the revamped offer is said to include 100 SMS messages, unlimited voice calls, even on outgoing while roaming, and without any FUP limit, reports TelecomTalk. This postpaid plan is said to provide 3G/ 4G data with rollover facility up to 500GB, meaning the unused data of one month gets added on to the next one.

Additionally, the Rs. 499 pack reportedly also comes with a few other benefits that remain the same as before. Airtel subscribers can avail a one-year subscription to Amazon Prime. The Rs. 499 unlimited plan is said to also come with Wynk TV subscription, access to its library of Live TV and Movies, and Handset Damage Protection.

Notably, the revamped Rs. 499 plan appears to be available to select users in some regions. We can expect a wider rollout in the coming days. Meanwhile, as mentioned, the other postpaid plans remain unchanged, but we can expect Airtel to refresh the lineup with additional data benefits.

In terms of offers from competitors, Vodafone recently revamped its Red postpaid plans priced between Rs. 399 and Rs. 2,999, to provide unlimited calls and more data to its subscribers. Under the new plans, users will get up to 300GB of data, Netflix and Amazon subscriptions, and more. The telco also announced a new Rs. 299 Red Basic postpaid plan that comes with 20GB of data.

For comparison, Jio's Rs. 199 postpaid plan 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.

Is the Reliance Jio effect spreading to postpaid connections in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.