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BSNL offers free data to take on Jio, but are these offers worth it?

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DailyBiteJul 03, 2017 | 16:10

BSNL offers free data to take on Jio, but are these offers worth it?

For the telecom industry in India, Reliance Jio’s predatory pricing are still something that dictates the rules of engagement. Despite the fact that Jio’s free offers are no longer in existence, thanks to some strong-arming on TRAI’s part, their rates for mobile data is causing woe to competition. And no one is an exception.

According to reports, even the state-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced a cheaper data plan for its postpaid subscribers. Select customers (depending on what plan they subscribe to) will now receive additional mobile data. There is little doubt that had it not been for the Mukesh Ambani-led telecom player, this is something that would have never happened.

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Under the new offer, BSNL postpaid customers who subscribe to “Plan 99” will now receive 250MB of data. The plan did not offer any data previously. Customers who subscribe to “Plan 225” will now get 1GB data, which is 800MB more than the 200MB they used to receive. Subscribers of “Plan 325” will receive 2GB of data compared to 250MB data they received previously. And finally, users of “Plan 525” and “Plan 725” will now receive 3GB and 5GB of data respectively, as compared to 500MB and 1GB of data they used to get. These postpaid offers will be activated automatically for the subscribers.

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Photo: Indiatoday.in

But is the state-owned telco running behind the times? Clearly.

While these data boosts are rather significant when compared to their older offers, they are nowhere even close to what the other private telecom operators, including Reliance Jio.

Recently, Bharti Airtel came up with an offer, "Monsoon Surprise" that gives an additional 30GB of 4G data for its postpaid users from July 1. This offer is valid postpaid customers who subscribe to the Rs 499, Rs 649 and Rs 799 plans.

Reliance Jio, on the other hand, offers 30GB of 4G data for Rs 309 and 60GB of 4G data with a daily FUP of 2GB for Rs 509, for its postpaid users. Jio’s prepaid plans, however, have gone for a toss at the end of the "Dhan Dhana Dhan" plan. The data and the validity of those prepaid plans have been brought down. That being said, they still offer a decent enough deal.

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2016 marked the beginning of a complete overhaul in the Indian telecom industry, particularly in terms of data-pricing and accessibility. In this age of cut-throat competition, is BSNL cut out for the battle? Only time will tell.

Last updated: July 03, 2017 | 16:10
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