Airtel Slashes Voice, SMS-Only Plans to ₹469 and ₹1,849

Airtel has revised its voice and SMS-only recharge plan prices after the update of new prepaid options following the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) new instructions last month. So soon after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) announced a re-evaluation of the new plans, the operator surreptitiously altered the fares of special tariff vouchers (STVs). Along with these vouchers, Airtel had also revised its STVs including data allowances.

Airtel Cuts Voice and SMS-Only Recharge Plan Prices to ₹469 and ₹1,849 After TRAI Scrutiny

In addition, Airtel launched the ₹499 STV that offers unlimited voice calls, 900 free SMS and 84 days of validity. The other plan, which cost ₹1,959, came with unlimited voice calls and 3,600 SMS along with a year of validity. However, both plans have been removed from Airtel’s website. Newer plans are much more affordable. The ₹499 plan is now available for ₹469, and the ₹1999 plan was cut down to ₹1,849.

Subscribers choosing these newer plans will also receive the same predecessor benefits of these STVs. Airtel hasn’t provided any statement as to what may have triggered the price cuts. But in one now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter), Hindustan Times pointed out that TRAI was going to investigate Airtel and Jio’s recently launched voice and SMS-only vouchers.

“It has come to the notice of TRAI that recently a few service providers have launched voice and SMS-only packs, which will be reported to TRAI within seven working days from the date of launch. The recently launched vouchers will be examined by TRAI as per extant regulatory provisions,” the regulator stated. TRAI has not commented on Airtel’s latest pricing update. Meanwhile, Airtel subscribers seeking plans with data allowances can choose the ₹548 plan, offering 7GB of data and 84 days of validity, or the ₹2,249 annual plan, which includes 30GB of data.

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