Jio vs BSNL vs Airtel vs Vodafone vs Idea: Who Has the Best Data Plans?

HIGHLIGHTS

• Jio Prime users can get up to 168GB bundled data till June-end
• BSNL provides customers up to 270GB data for 90 days with Rs. 333 pack
• Airtel, Vodafone, Idea also have competitive offers to rival Reliance Jio

Reliance Jio is providing its customers services at ultra-low costs till June-end under the Jio Summer Surprise, and Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan offers, with minimum one-time recharges of Rs. 303 and Rs. 309, thus extending the tariff war in the Indian telecom industry for another two-and-a-half months. In order to retain customers rivals BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea have all launched plans that provide data at competitive rates. The incumbent telecom operators have announced plans with validities till mid-June, so customers will get data benefits similar to those offered by Jio at roughly the same price. But this leaves consumers confused about which telecom operator offers the best plan both in terms of bundled data and price. We take a look at the plans offered by Reliance Jio, BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea to help you figure out which plan to choose.

Reliance Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan offer

The Reliance Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan offer provides Jio Prime customers with 1GB data per day till June-end with a recharge of Rs. 309; those who buy the Rs. 509 recharge pack get 2GB data per day. Along with this, Jio Prime subscribers get free calls, free roaming, and bundled Jio apps subscription, and 100 SMSes per day. This works out to roughly Rs. 3.6 per GB on the Rs. 309 pack, and Rs. 3 per GB on the Rs. 509 pack.

BSNL Rs. 333 plan

Under the Rs. 333 BSNL Triple Ace Plan, user get up to 3GB data per day for 90 days. This comes to a total of 270GB for the whole validity period, at Rs. 1.23 per GB of data. In comparison, Jio users will get only 84GB, or 168GB, data depending on the recharge pack they purchased. However, BSNL users will get 3G speeds, unlike 4G speeds offered by Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea.

BSNL Rs. 349 plan

Customers who opt for this will get 2GB data per day, and unlimited local calls for 90 days with the Rs. 349 ‘Dil Khol Ke Bol’ plan (working out to Rs. 1.93 per GB). Notably, the bundled calls are limited only to the home circle, so charges will be levied for STD calls under this plan. As is the case with the Rs. 333 BSNL pack, this plan also has provides 3G speeds, not 4G.

BSNL Rs. 395 plan

The Rs. 395 BSNL ‘Nehle Pe Dehla’ plan provides 2GB of data per day for 71 days (at Rs. 2.78 per GB of data), along with bundled local and STD calls. The bundled calls to BSNL numbers are capped at 3,000 minutes and calls to other networks are restricted to 1,800 minutes in the validity period, and charges will be levied after the bundled minutes are exhausted. The speeds remain 3G.

Airtel Rs. 244 pack

The Airtel Rs. 244 prepaid pack gives users 1GB data per day for 70 days (or Rs. 3.48 per GB) if they have a 4G smartphone and 4G SIM card; there are no restrictions of timing for data consumption except the 1GB daily FUP. On its website and MyAirtel app, the operator says the offer comes with unlimited STD and local calls, but users only get a maximum of 300 minutes of Airtel to Airtel calls per day without any charges, and 1,200 minutes of un-billed calls on the network for a week. If the user exhausts the bundled call minutes, they will be charged Rs. 0.10 per minute.

Airtel Rs. 399 pack

Under the Rs. 399 Airtel pack, the user again gets 1GB data per day for 70 days (at Rs. 5.7 per GB), provided they have a 4G smartphone and 4G SIM card. However, you also get bundled calls on other networks, not just to other Airtel numbers. On the other hand, there is a limit of 3,000 minutes for the 70-day period; if you exhaust the bundled these un-billable minutes, the rate is Rs. 0.10 per minute. On calls made to Airtel numbers, the limit is 300 minutes per day and 1,200 minutes per week.

Airtel Rs. 345 pack

Airtel has upgraded the data limit on its Rs. 345 pack from 1GB per day to 2GB per day (at Rs. 6.16 per GB). Moreover, there is no restriction of timing regarding the data consumption; this is a major incentive for users to buy the pack as they were restricted to 500MB for 12am and 6am, and the remaining 500MB for the rest of the day. The Rs. 345 Airtel pack with 28 days validity has the same limits on bundled calls as the Rs. 399 pack.

For Airtel postpaid customers, the company has not announced any new plans after the Reliance Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan offer, but it is giving 30GB of free data. Users need to login to the MyAirtel app by April 30 to get the free data under the offer.

Vodafone Rs. 352 pack

Vodafone has launched a Rs. 352 prepaid recharge pack that provides customers 1GB data per day for 56 days (at Rs. 6.28 per GB). In addition to this, you get unlimited local and STD calls to any network during the validity period. To avail the benefits of the pack, you need to buy the recharge pack from a Vodafone outlet as the plan is not available on the Vodafone website and MyVodafone app.

Idea Rs. 297 pack

Idea has reportedly launched a Rs. 297 recharge pack that provides 1GB data per day for 70 days (at Rs. 4.24 per GB) if you have a 4G SIM and 4G smartphone. The offer comes with 300 minutes of un-billed calls per day and 1,200 minutes per week to other Idea customers, after which you will be charged at 30 paisa per minute.

Idea Rs. 447 pack

Idea Cellular has also launched a Rs. 447 prepaid pack that provides 1GB data per day and un-billed calls to any network for 70 days (at Rs. 6.38 per GB). As with the Airtel plan, the bundled calls with this Idea pack to other networks are capped at 3,000 minutes for the 70-day period. Users will be charged 30 paisa per minute if they exhaust the bundled calls to other networks. The cap for un-billable Idea-to-Idea calls remains the same as those of the Rs. 297 pack.

Idea Rs. 300 pack

For postpaid users, Idea has launched a Rs. 300 pack that provides customers 1GB data per day per billing cycle (roughly Rs. 10 per GB) to those with 4G smartphones. The recharge pack is available for customers with rental plans of Rs. 199 or higher, and the last date to buy the recharge pack is April 30, 2017; after that, Idea postpaid users can purchase the Rs. 300 pack every month for a year to get the data benefits.

Notably, the postpaid add-on pack is available at discounted rates for the first three months. Users with rental plans of Rs. 499 or above will be offered this 1GB/ day pack for free. Users with base rental plans between Rs. 349 and Rs. 498 can get this pack at a discounted rate of just Rs. 50. Users with base rental plans between Rs. 199 and 349 can get it for Rs. 200. After the first three months is over, all users will have to pay Rs. 300 per month.