airtel prepaid plan: Airtel makes big pricing move in prepaid, ups entry level plan to Rs 79

has discontinued its Rs 49 plan and made the entry point of its prepaid tariffs at Rs 79, following up on its changes in the corporate postpaid segment, marking the start of a concerted push to up effective tariffs in a bid to increase average revenue per user. Airtel’s move is likely to push rivals (Vi) and market leader Reliance Jio(Jio) to up their tariffs as well.

“Airtel has discontinued its Rs 49 entry level Prepaid recharge. The Company’s Prepaid packs will now start from the Rs 79 Smart Recharge and offer up to four times more outgoing minutes of usage to customers along with double data,’ said the company in a statement on Wednesday. The revision is effective from July 29, 2021.

Airtel and rival Vi had both upgraded their post paid plans recently, mainly for their corporate users, but this latest decision will have a larger impact since more than 95% of India’s customers are prepaid.

The last time prepaid tariffs were upped was in December 2019.

“This change is in line with the Company’s focus on offering superior connectivity solutions. Airtel customers on entry level recharges can now stay connected for longer without worrying about their account balance,” Airtel added.