Vodafone Idea (Vi) Launches Four Voice-Only Prepaid Plans in India a Month After TRAI Mandate

Vodafone Idea (Vi) has launched four new voice-only recharge plans in India. The telecom service provider (TSP) introduced the plans in compliance with a recent Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) order. Airtel also launched three new voice-only prepaid plans earlier this month. The voice-only recharge packs from the two telecom companies are identical. All four recharge plans offer unlimited calling. The most affordable recharge pack offers 25 days of validity. In its order, TRAI noted that low-income subscribers, especially in rural parts of India, are being “deprived” of more affordable shorter-duration prepaid plans.

Vi Introduces New Voice-Only Recharge Plans

The telecom company has updated its website to launch four new voice-only recharge plans in India. The most affordable voice-only pack costs Rs. 179, which offers unlimited calls, 25-day validity, and a 300 SMS quota. It also provides access to the Vi Movies and TV app, allowing subscribers to stream content free of cost.

The Rs. 189 recharge pack offers the same unlimited calling and SMS quota benefits to customers. However, the plan is valid for 28 days. Unlike the Rs. 179 plan, it does not offer access to the Vi Movies and TV app. The TSP has also launched the Rs. 203 voice-only recharge pack with 30 days of validity, unlimited calling, and the same SMS quota as the more affordable plans.

Lastly, the most expensive voice-only offering from Vi is the Rs. 206 recharge pack, which offers a 1-month validity, unlimited calling, and a 300 SMS quota. Similar to the Rs. 189 and Rs. 203 recharge packs, the Rs. 206 pack also does not include access to the Vi Movies and TV app.

This comes a month after TRAI, in its notification dated September 21, ordered telecom companies in India to offer Special Tariff Vouchers (STVs) exclusively for Voice and SMS to reduce tariffs. As per the mandate, the validity of the STVs should be renewed on the same date of every month. If the date of such renewal is not available in a month, the “date of renewal shall be the last date of that month”. TRAI said that “the low-income consumers, especially those living in rural areas or using feature phones, require shorter-validity STVs so that the recharge amounts do not strain their finances”.

Apart from Vi, Airtel also launched its voice-only recharge plans earlier this month in compliance with the TRAI order. Airtel's Rs. 189, Rs. 203, and Rs. 206 prepaid voice-only plans offer the same validity as Vi's recharge packs.