Airtel offers 30GB data for 3 mths at ₹1,495

NEWDELHI: Amid the ongoing tariff war triggered by the entry of Reliance Jio, India’s largest mobile operator Bharti Airtel on Friday announced a special 90-day pack that offers 30 GB data at 4G speed for ₹1,495.

This effectively brings down 4G data rates to ₹50 per GB. Till now, Airtel was offering prepaid 1GB of 4G data at ₹255 with a validity of 28 days.

The company said “fair usage policy will be applicable on the data pack”, which means consumers can avail up to 30 GB of high-speed data over 90 days and once this data limit is exhausted, the Internet will continue but on 2G speeds.

“Customers with 4G handsets generally consume large amounts of data and this proposition is specifically aimed at them. With this pack, these customers can stay online round the clock without having to worry about exhausting their data limits or going for frequent recharges,” Ajai Puri, Director, Operations (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel, said in a statement.

The pack is currently available in Delhi and will be launched across other circles over the next few days.

Reliance Jio, which launched its commercial 4G services on September 5, has promised its customers that they will continue to avail of free voice and data till December 31, after which voice calls will be free for life and data will be available at rock-bottom prices.

At Reliance Industries’ 42nd annual general meeting, Chairman Mukesh Ambani stressed that data must be “affordable” and said Reliance Jio’s offerings will bring down data rates to ₹50 per GB from the prevailing market rate of ₹250.

To ward off threat from Reliance Jio, incumbent operators, including Airtel, Vodafone and Idea, have slashed data tariffs or announced promotional schemes that pack in more data for the same price.