Airtel Takes on Jio, BSNL by Offering Post FUP Speed of 128Kbps on Unlimited Prepaid Packs

Taking on BSNL and Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel has now started offering a "truly unlimited" data experience on its prepaid packs starting at Rs. 199. The new development brings 128Kbps of data speed post the FUP (Fair Usage Policy) limit. BSNL is already offering 128Kbps of data speed, while Jio recently reduced the speeds from 128Kbps to 64Kbps for its prepaid subscribers exceeding the unlimited data limits. In March, Airtel brought its Rs. 995 pack to that was the first prepaid pack to offer the truly unlimited experience for voice calls.

As first spotted by folks at TelecomTalk, Airtel subscribers who have bought any unlimited prepaid packs are eligible for the after FUP speed of 128Kbps. So for instance, if you're on the Rs. 199 pack that presently offers 1.4GB data per day, you'll no longer need to recharge for a separate pack once you exceed the 1.4GB quota and will receive data at a speed of 128Kbps after surpassing the daily limit. Previously, the telco was charging a certain amount for per kilobyte (KB) of data consumed post the given quota. This hasn't been the case with broadband subscribers as they are being shifted to 512Kbps after surpassing a certain limit, as per the amendment that Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) drafted in January 2016.

An Airtel customer care executive confirmed Gadgets 360 that the unlimited experience with 128Kbps speed is only valid for the packs that have daily data limits. This means that if you've recharged your prepaid account with a data-only pack or a usual unlimited pack that offers a certain amount of data on a monthly basis, you will be charged for each KB consumed post the given data limit. It indeed makes sense for the operator as most of the prepaid subscribers on the unlimited packs aren't able to cross their daily data limits, while the subscribers using other packs often exceed the given quota and thus buy new top-ups to meet their usage.

To avail the new experience, you don't need to make any fresh recharge. Subscribers with existing unlimited packs have been upgraded with the post FUP data access at 128Kbps.