It’s an interesting time to be a spectator when the biggest network providers in the country are battling each other for customers’ attention. Of course, I’m talking about Reliance Jio and Bharati Airtel. It’s no longer news that Jio will start charging for data from the 1st of April. And so to counter the incredibly low prices of Jio, Airtel has just launched a new data plan.
We know Airtel already has a 149 plan which battles Jio’s 149 plan. However, even though the cost is the same in both networks, the benefits are drastically different.
Airtel’s 149
- Free on-net calls. If you’re calling other networks, you have to pay extra.
- Free incoming when you’re roaming. As for outgoing calls, you have to pay extra.
Now for Jio’s 149
- Whether you’re roaming or not, you get free and unlimited voice calls for any network.
- There’s not much of a competition there. Jio’s plan is the obvious winner.
Airtel gets a new data plan
The new data plan, priced at INR 349, will combat Jio’s INR 303 plan. So is there anything new about this plan? How much is Airtel offering for the almost-same price as Jio? Let’s take a look.
Airtel at 349
- Free and unlimited calls, regardless of whether you’re roaming or calling another network.
- 1GB of data per day, but you can use only 500MB of it during the day. The remaining 500MB is available only between 3 AM and 5 AM. If you’re a zombie, yay for you!
- One more thing: it’s an STV pack, valid for 28 days. Airtel retains the right to postpone or cancel the offer any time they wish without prior notification to users. And Airtel is in no way liable to pay you back for any losses you incur if and when the company cancels an offer.
Jio at 303
- Free and unlimited calls, regardless of whether you’re roaming or calling another network. Why am I not surprised?
- Unlimited data.
- A combo pack, valid for 28 days.
Well, again, it doesn’t look like there’s much competition here. Jio is cheaper, even after Airtel slashed its prices to the bare essentials. Perhaps this is not a battle Airtel can win. Let’s not judge too soon, though. Like I said, it’s fun to be a spectator.
