State-owned telco company Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has provided a new, attractive update to its popular prepaid recharge plan. The ₹997 prepaid plan now has 164 days of total validity, meaning more than the existing 150 days in total valid coverage (or a further 14 days at no extra cost).
The strategic move also aims to shore up BSNL’s prepaid offering to further lock in customers amid the fierce competition in the Indian telecom market. And given that private operators are often renegotiating their tariffs, BSNL’s extended validity plans are viewed as a low-cost answer for those seeking long-term recharge benefits.
What the BSNL ₹997 Plan Will Provide
With their revised offer, customers charged with the ₹997 plan will have:
- Validity Total: 164 days (prior to 150 days).
- Extra Benefit: 14 days additional validity for free.
- Data benefits: For the first validity period: 2GB of high-speed data per day of validity (for a standard plan structure).
- Voice Call: Unlimited voice calls nationwide in India.
- SMS: Daily SMS benefits included.
After the daily high-speed data limit ends, internet speeds may slow down, according to the fair usage policy of the telecom provider.
Why did BSNL add additional validity?
BSNL is developing prepaid plans in readiness for India's 4G roll-out. It has long validity periods, providing competitive pricing to protect existing subscribers and attract customers willing to pay for long term agreements. Long validity is favoured by the users who want fewer recharges year round. In a single recharge period customers can have service for 164 days and remain hooked for more than five months.
Intensified Competition in the Telecom Sector
Indian telecoms market is highly competitive with operators such as Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea all selling prepaid plans with bundled offers. To this end, BSNL has turned to cheap pricing and extended validity periods as a differentiation strategy. Analysts think that such extended validity promotions could prove beneficial for BSNL to retain its subscriber base as it continues delivering its mobile network services more rapidly.
Budget-Friendly Solution for the Long-Term Users
For those users who have great concerns about long validity, unlimited calling, a steady daily data, this new BSNL ₹997 plan provides strong value. The benefit of a further 14 days worth of free validity in short lessens the price per day, hence it would be one of the budget-friendly long-term prepaid plans from the government-owned telecom provider today.
