Airtel hikes tariffs, family postpaid plan spiked for new customers

Airtel has simplified its postpaid plans to offer industry-leading data benefits backed by a 5G-ready network and superior digital-first customer care.

Bharti Airtel on Thursday announced new postpaid plans and discontinued some previous ones.

“In the post-pandemic world, an abundance of high-speed data is increasingly becoming a key need for customers as work from home and online education is the new normal.

"In this context, Airtel has further simplified its postpaid plans to offer industry-leading data benefits backed by a 5G-ready network and superior digital-first customer care.

"The plans also come with a range of exclusive benefits such as bundled content and business productivity tools,” Airtel said in a press release.

For retail customers, the prices of Airtel postpaid plans start at Rs 399 per month and for corporate customers the rate is Rs 299.

The earlier postpaid corporate plans started at Rs 199, which has been revised to Rs 299.

Postpaid business contributes 25 per cent to the company’s overall business, of which a lion’s share comes from corporate plans.

The company has discontinued its Rs 749 Family Postpaid Plan for new customers and will now offer Rs 999 as the only such scheme with enhanced data benefits.

Now, its customers can add a connection to any Airtel postpaid plan at just Rs 299/SIM and get 30 GB additional data (10 GB earlier), unlimited calling and benefits.

On Wednesday, Bharti Airtel announced collaboration with Intel Corporation for 5G network development by leveraging virtual and open radio access network (O-RAN) technologies and making indigenous solutions.

Airtel and other telecommunications (telecom) operators are conducting 5G trials in select cities across the country.

Photograph: Sivaram V/Reuters