Bharti Airtel has discontinued its best budget Rs 648 International roaming pack its for postpaid users leaving only higher value plans. Let’s scroll this guide, and know the complete details about it.
It seems that the tariff hikes are being introduced gradually in a phased manner in the Indian telecom sector. Recently, we heard that some of the telecom giants have withdrawn their 1GB per day plans, and now Bharti Airtel’s ongoing tariff hike has raised concerns about its entry-level international roaming pack for postpaid users.
Airtel Discontinued Entry Level IR Pack
Airtel has discontinued its entry-level & budget-friendly Rs 648 IR Pack, which comes with one-day validity for postpaid users. This tariff hike by Airtel leaves the customers with a high-value Rs 2,999 IR pack with 10-day validity as an entry-level option.
This is a major change, and according to reports, more tariff revisions are likely to happen in the coming months. So, if there are some tariff hikes in the Airtel prepaid and postpaid portfolio happening in the coming months, customers may be aware of them.
Airtel Removed Its Rs 648 IR Packs
Airtel removed its Rs 648 IR Pack from its postpaid portfolio; however, there is no official announcement from Airtel. This plan is no longer available for activation for the postpaid customers.
The Rs 648 international roaming plan from Airtel previously offered unlimited data with 1GB of high-speed usage (reduced to 80KB after FUP), 100 minutes of outgoing and incoming calls to local numbers and India, along with 10 outgoing SMS, and international calls at Rs 45 per minute.
Airtel Revised Postpaid IR Data Top-Up Packs
With the revision of its postpaid international roaming pack, Airtel has also revised its postpaid IR data top-up plans. The Rs 699 top-up pack, which earlier offered 2GB of high-speed data valid for the duration of the base pack, now comes with a limited validity of 5 days.
It means users who seek to recharge with affordable plans with good benefits may find it difficult, and are only left with the option to go with higher-value plans.
Additionally, Airtel has introduced two new high-value data top-ups for postpaid users: a Rs 2249 pack offering 8GB of data with 10 days validity, and a Rs 15000 pack with 40GB of data with 30 days validity.
Airtel Entry Level Rs 2999 IR Pack Explained
With the withdrawal of the one-day IR pack, postpaid users now have the Rs 2999 IR pack as the entry-level 10-day validity option. This plan includes unlimited data reduced to 80Kb after 10GB of high-speed usage data, 100 minutes of outgoing and incoming calls per day (local and India), 20 Outgoing SMS, and international calls at Rs 45 per minute.
| Roaming Packs Price | Validity | Voice | Data | SMS |
| Rs.2999 | 10 | 100 mins/day | Unlimited* | 20 |
Recent Tariff Revisions
Earlier this month, both telecom giants Airtel & Jio revised their 1GB per day plans. The Indian telecom regulator, TRAI, has asked Airtel & Jio for details and explanations about the reported withdrawal of entry-level prepaid tariff plans. However, according to the PTI report, TRAI has not found any urgency for intervention at this stage.
Both telecom operators were asked to explain their actions after reports about the plan being withdrawn. According to sources, one operator confirmed that the plan has been removed and filed the required details with the TRAI, while the other one said the plan is still available but only through physical stores.
TRAI made this observation after Jio removed its Rs 249 entry-level prepaid plan (1GB per day for 28 days) from its online platform, like MyJio and Jio.com.
Although the plan is still reportedly available at physical stores. Similarly, Airtel also discontinued its basic Rs 249 plan (1GB per day for 28 days) and updated this change on its website.
According to reports, sources said that TRAI is reviewing the responses from the two companies to see if they follow the rules. However, the sources added that TRAI does not see any urgent need to take action at this time.
