New Delhi: Bharti Airtel has discontinued four prepaid recharge plans priced at Rs 299, Rs 579, Rs 619 and Rs 649 across India, reducing the number of options available to prepaid customers. The changes affect selected segments of Airtel’s prepaid portfolio rather than representing a blanket tariff hike across all plans.

The biggest impact is being felt by customers who previously relied on the Rs 299 recharge. With that pack removed, the Rs 349 plan becomes the next prominent option, meaning customers seeking a similar daily-data package will have to spend Rs 50 more.

The Rs 349 plan, however, also offers more daily data. It provides 2GB of data per day for 28 days, compared with the 1.5GB daily data offered by the discontinued Rs 299 plan.

The latest changes appear to be part of Airtel’s broader effort to streamline its prepaid portfolio while improving average revenue per user (ARPU). Instead of increasing prices across every prepaid category, the telecom operator is making targeted changes to selected plans.

Rs 299 plan replaced by Rs 349 option

The most significant change for Airtel customers is the removal of the Rs 299 prepaid plan.

The earlier Rs 299 pack offered 1.5GB of daily data for 28 days. With the plan discontinued, customers looking for a similar daily-data option will now find the Rs 349 pack as the next major alternative.

At Rs 349, the replacement costs Rs 50 more, representing an increase of roughly 16.7 per cent over the old Rs 299 price.

However, the higher price comes with additional data.

The Rs 349 plan offers 2GB of daily data for 28 days, giving users an additional 500MB of daily data compared with the old Rs 299 pack.

Over a 28-day validity period, that translates into an additional 14GB of data.

For customers who regularly use large amounts of mobile data, the extra allowance could partly justify the higher recharge cost. For users who rarely consume their full daily quota, however, the additional data may not compensate for the higher price.

Airtel reduces the number of prepaid choices

The changes are not limited to the Rs 299 segment.

Airtel has also discontinued other prepaid price points, including the Rs 579, Rs 619 and Rs 649 plans.

Removing these packs means customers will have fewer choices when selecting a recharge based on their preferred combination of price, validity and data.

This is consistent with Airtel’s wider effort to simplify its prepaid catalogue.

Telecom operators typically maintain a large number of recharge options to cater to different customer requirements. However, overlapping plans can make the portfolio complicated, particularly when differences between neighbouring plans are relatively small.

By removing selected options, Airtel can create clearer gaps between different price categories and potentially encourage customers to move towards higher-value plans.

Some lower-priced options remain

Despite the removal of several plans, Airtel’s prepaid portfolio still includes lower-cost options.

The Rs 199 plan remains available and provides 2GB of data for 28 days.

The next option is the Rs 219 plan, which provides 3GB of data for the same 28-day period.

This means customers who do not require a daily data allowance can still access relatively lower-priced recharge options.

The difference between these plans and the Rs 349 option is important because the latter is structured around daily data usage.

Customers therefore need to compare not only the recharge price but also the type of data benefit included.

A plan offering 2GB per day is very different from a plan offering a fixed 2GB data allowance for the entire validity period.

Is Airtel actually increasing prepaid tariffs?

The latest move should not be described as a blanket tariff hike.

Airtel has not increased the price of every prepaid plan. Instead, it has discontinued selected plans and left customers with alternative packs that can cost more.

That distinction is important.

For example, a customer who previously used the Rs 299 plan and now chooses the Rs 349 plan will effectively pay around 16.7 per cent more for the recharge.

But that does not mean every Airtel customer will see their monthly mobile bill increase by the same percentage.

The impact depends on the plan currently being used and the replacement selected after the discontinued packs disappear.

Some customers may continue using an existing lower-priced plan, while others may choose a higher-priced pack because of its additional data or other benefits.

Why Airtel is changing its prepaid portfolio

One of the key reasons behind the changes is Airtel’s focus on average revenue per user, commonly referred to as ARPU.

ARPU is an important metric for telecom companies because it indicates how much revenue they generate from each customer on average.

Airtel has consistently argued for healthier pricing in India’s telecom sector and has been seeking ways to improve the value it receives from customers.

Instead of relying solely on broad tariff increases, the company can also adjust its portfolio by removing cheaper or overlapping options and promoting plans with greater data allowances and higher prices.

The latest changes appear to follow that approach.

By reducing the number of available plans, Airtel can make its prepaid catalogue easier to navigate while potentially encouraging customers to select higher-value packages.

Higher data usage could mean higher spending

The Indian telecom market has changed considerably as mobile data consumption has increased.

Streaming video, social media, online gaming, video calls and other data-intensive services have become routine for smartphone users.

As customers consume more data, telecom operators have an opportunity to create different pricing tiers based on usage.

Airtel’s Rs 349 plan is an example of this strategy.

A customer moving from the old Rs 299 plan to the Rs 349 pack pays more but receives an additional 500MB of daily data.

For a heavy data user, the additional allowance may be useful.

For a customer who typically consumes less than 1.5GB per day, however, the additional data may have little practical value.

That makes the impact of Airtel’s changes different for different types of users.

What should Airtel customers do?

Customers whose existing recharge plan has been discontinued should first compare the available alternatives rather than automatically choosing the most expensive replacement.

The important factors to consider include:

  • Recharge price
  • Validity period
  • Daily or total data allowance
  • Voice calling benefits
  • SMS benefits
  • Additional Airtel services or bundled benefits

A customer who primarily needs calling and limited data may be better served by a lower-priced option.

Heavy data users, on the other hand, may find that the Rs 349 plan offers better value despite its higher upfront cost because of the additional daily data.

Customers should also consider their average monthly usage before deciding whether the extra spending is worthwhile.

Fewer choices could make recharging simpler

From Airtel’s perspective, reducing the number of overlapping plans can make its prepaid portfolio easier to manage.

For customers, however, the effect could be mixed.

Fewer options can make it easier to understand the differences between plans, but it can also remove a price point that suited a particular budget.

The Rs 299 plan is a good example. A customer who had a strict Rs 300 recharge budget now has to either select a different lower-priced plan or spend more to obtain a similar daily-data benefit.

That effectively changes the spending threshold for some customers even though Airtel has not announced a broad increase across all prepaid tariffs.

Impact on Airtel’s ARPU strategy

The latest changes are also relevant to Airtel’s long-term financial strategy.

Telecom companies need to balance affordability with the substantial cost of maintaining mobile networks, spectrum investments and expanding data capacity.

A higher ARPU can give operators more financial room to invest in infrastructure and services.

Airtel’s approach appears to be increasingly focused on encouraging customers with higher data consumption to move towards plans that generate greater revenue.

Removing selected lower-priced plans is one way of doing that without imposing an immediate price increase on the entire customer base.

However, Airtel must also be careful not to push price-sensitive customers towards competitors.

India’s telecom market remains highly competitive, with consumers able to compare plans and switch providers when they believe another operator offers better value.

Conclusion

Airtel has discontinued its Rs 299, Rs 579, Rs 619 and Rs 649 prepaid plans, but the move does not represent a blanket increase across all of the company’s tariffs.

The biggest change is for Rs 299 users, who now have the Rs 349 plan as a key alternative. While the new option costs around 16.7 per cent more, it also increases the daily data allowance from 1.5GB to 2GB for 28 days.

The changes appear to support Airtel’s broader strategy of simplifying its prepaid portfolio and increasing ARPU by encouraging customers towards higher-value plans.

For consumers, the key takeaway is to compare the available recharge options based on actual data usage and validity rather than assuming that a higher-priced plan automatically offers better value.