BSNL has been coming up with some radical plans for its prepaid
subscribers in the affordable segments for a while. For less than Rs
500, BSNL customers can get some great plans that offer higher value
than similar plans from private sector telecom operators. However, for
its long term plans, the operator has some catching up to do and that is
evident with its updated long term annual plan for its subscribers in
the Chennai and Tamil Nadu circles.
BSNL is offering its Rs 1,188 long-term prepaid plan for its subscribers for three more months. According to a report from Telecom Talk, BSNL was supposed to withdraw this plan soon but for some reason, the operator has decided to keep it on the tariff table for another three months. The plan, however, is now only available for new subscribers and existing subscribers will have to choose from other long term plans.
The Rs 1,188 plan has limited benefits for an annual plan. The plan is valid for 365 days (obviously) and it offers 5GB data bundled. This is 5GB data in total and not 5GB data per day. Hence, even for someone who doesn't have much use for data, this is too little. The plan offers free calls to any network but as with every BSNL plan, subscribers will only be entitled to get 250 minutes of free calls, after which the calls will be charged. This plan will offer 1200 SMSes for the entire duration.
Clearly, it seems that BSNL has designed this plan for its feature phone users who don't have much use for data. And even for feature phone or entry-level smartphone users, the existing benefits are not enough. The 5GB data will vanquish if the user uses it for anything other than WhatsApp. Hence, the subscriber will have to go for data vouchers. Similarly, separate vouchers for SMS and free calls also need to be made top of this plan.
In
comparison, Reliance Jio and Airtel offer long-term plans that offer
far more benefits than BSNL's plans. The data benefits with their plans
pertain to a 'per-day' basis and even calls are completely free, except
for Jio that now charges 6 paise per minute for offnet calls.
BSNL is offering its Rs 1,188 long-term prepaid plan for its subscribers for three more months. According to a report from Telecom Talk, BSNL was supposed to withdraw this plan soon but for some reason, the operator has decided to keep it on the tariff table for another three months. The plan, however, is now only available for new subscribers and existing subscribers will have to choose from other long term plans.
The Rs 1,188 plan has limited benefits for an annual plan. The plan is valid for 365 days (obviously) and it offers 5GB data bundled. This is 5GB data in total and not 5GB data per day. Hence, even for someone who doesn't have much use for data, this is too little. The plan offers free calls to any network but as with every BSNL plan, subscribers will only be entitled to get 250 minutes of free calls, after which the calls will be charged. This plan will offer 1200 SMSes for the entire duration.
Clearly, it seems that BSNL has designed this plan for its feature phone users who don't have much use for data. And even for feature phone or entry-level smartphone users, the existing benefits are not enough. The 5GB data will vanquish if the user uses it for anything other than WhatsApp. Hence, the subscriber will have to go for data vouchers. Similarly, separate vouchers for SMS and free calls also need to be made top of this plan.
