BSNL Rs. 699 Broadband Plan Offers 700GB Data per Month at 20Mbps Speed to Take on Jio GigaFiber

Just days after Reliance Jio started taking registrations for the highly anticipated Jio GigaFiber broadband service, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is further revamping its own plans to give some competition to Jio. BSNL has reportedly revised its affordable broadband plan that provides its users access to an FUP limit of 700GB per month at a speed of 20Mbps for a tariff of Rs. 699. Available in Chennai, this revamped BSNL broadband plan - named BBG Combo ULD 699 - comes with a post-FUP speed of 2Mbps. Jio GigaFiber registrations are now open but the service is yet to receive a public rollout in India. But ahead of the rollout, rivals like BSNL are getting ready to take on the competition.

In the latest revision to the BSNL plan, the telco has upgraded both the download speeds as well as the FUP limit, TelecomTalk reports. Previously, the Rs. 699 plan offered broadband with speeds of up to 10 Mbps and a FUP of 100 GB of data. Following the revision, the speed has reportedly been doubled to 20Mbps and the FUP limit has soared up to 700GB of data. However, as mentioned, the Rs. 699 broadband plan from BSNL is currently available only in one city - Chennai. We will have to wait to see if BSNL decides to roll out the plan pan-India.

Similar to most other broadband plans from the company, the Rs. 699 offer is also said to come bundled with a fixed telephone line (landline service). The telco is reportedly also offering unlimited voice calls to any network within India with the Rs. 699 plan.

As Reliance Jio GigaFiber rollout looms, Bharti Airtel has already started expanding its truly unlimited broadband data offerings in more cities. Meanwhile, DTH service provider Tata Sky has also launched its own broadband service. Last month, even BSNL had revised its premium FTTH broadband plans including the ones priced at Rs. 3,999, Rs. 5,999, Rs. 9,999, and Rs. 16,999. These plans now offer up to 3TB of FUP data and up to 100Mbps of FUP speeds during their monthly validity. Speed will drop to 4Mbps after the data limit is hit by BSNL subscribers. Earlier this month, BSNL had also unveiled a new broadband plan that gives its users access to an FUP limit of 200GB at a speed of 20Mbps for a tariff of Rs. 995.

To recall, it has been reported that the company is planning to launch a Jio GigaFiber Preview Offer, under which subscribers will receive 100GB of free data at a speed of up to 100 Mbps for first three months. The subscribers will have to pay a sum of Rs. 4,500 upfront to avail the service. Since it will be a preview offer, the data benefits for the first three months could be provided at no additional cost, and may become chargeable later.