THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 12, 2026
Bharti Airtel is tightening the screws on its prepaid
portfolio, quietly withdrawing a clutch of popular plans that offered 1.5 GB of
daily data along with unlimited voice calls, a move that could leave
budget-conscious subscribers with little choice but to spend more on their monthly
recharges. The latest reshuffle comes as India’s telecom operators increasingly
focus on lifting average revenue per user (ARPU), signalling that the era of
low-cost, high-value prepaid packs may be gradually giving way to a
higher-tariff regime.
Airtel has discontinued five prepaid plans — ₹299,
₹319, ₹579, ₹619 and ₹649 — according to information available on the company’s
website and Airtel Thanks app. The withdrawal is particularly significant for
the ₹299 pack, one of the operator’s widely used entry-level monthly offerings.
The ₹299 plan provided 1.5 GB of data per day,
unlimited voice calls and SMS benefits for 28 days. With its removal,
subscribers looking for a similar daily-data proposition at the lower end of
Airtel’s prepaid portfolio are
now being directed towards the ₹349 plan, which offers 2 GB of data per day
for the same 28-day validity.
For users who had been recharging with the ₹299 pack, the shift effectively raises the monthly outgo by ₹50, translating into an increase of nearly 17%. While customers get an additional 500 MB of daily data under the ₹349 plan, the change nonetheless increases the minimum monthly spending required for a comparable unlimited-calling, daily-data package.
The company has also withdrawn the ₹579, ₹619 and ₹649 packs, which catered to subscribers seeking longer validity without opting for an annual recharge.
