Fierce competition in the Indian telecom services sector is a boon for consumers, as they get more data at high speed and free voice calls at competitive costs. Reliance Jio dropped the bomb, so to speak, in October last year, by offering free unlimited 4G data and calls for three months, forcing Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and BSNL to introduce new tariffs to retain subscribers.
Let's take a look at the best data plans major telecom operators are offering for May 2017:
Also read: Best 4G data tariff plans for June 2017
Reliance Jio (prepaid):
Rs 309 4G data plan offers free voice call to subscribers of all telecom operators (local, STD and roaming), unlimited data at 4G speed for 84GB with a daily FUP of 1GB (unlimited data at 128kbps post 1GB usage), and unlimited SMS (local STD and roaming). The offer is valid for 84 days for the first recharge and 28 days for the second recharge at 4G speed for 28GB. The first recharge benefit is not available for customers already registered for Jio Summer Surprise.
Rs 509 4G data plan offers free voice call to subscribers of all telecom operators (local, STD and roaming), unlimited data at 4G speed for 128GB with a daily FUP of 2GB (unlimited data at 128kbps post 2GB usage), and unlimited SMS (local STD and roaming). Its validity is for 84 days for the first recharge and 28 days for the second recharge at 4G speed for 56GB. The first recharge benefit is not available for customers already registered for Jio Summer Surprise.
Rs 999 4G data plan offers free voice call to subscribers of all telecom operators (local, STD and roaming), unlimited data at 4G speed for 160GB (unlimited data at 128kbps post FUP), and unlimited SMS (local STD and roaming). Its validity is for 120 days for the first recharge and 60 days for the second recharge at 4G speed for 60GB. The first recharge benefit is not available for customers already registered for Jio Summer Surprise.
Reliance Jio (post-paid)
Rs 309 4G data plan for post-paid subscribers offers almost the same benefits as the pre-paid option. However, post-paid subscribers get 4G speed for 90GB on first recharge and 4G speed for 30GB on second recharge. Rs 509 plan for post-paid offers additional data at 4G speed — 180GB on first recharge and 60GB on second recharge.
Rs 999 4G data plan for postpaid subscribers is valid for three months and offers 4G speed for 180GB on first recharge and 4G speed for 60GB on second recharge.
Bharti Airtel
Rs 244 4G plan for pre-paid subscribers offers 1GB of 4G data daily for 70 days. It also offers unlimited Airtel-to-Airtel calls for both local and STD but after crossing the allotted daily use of 300 minutes and 1200 minutes per week, 10 paise will be charged per minute.
Rs 345 4G plan for pre-paid offers 56GB of 4G data for 28 days, or 2GB per day. It also offers unlimited Airtel-to-Airtel local and STD calls with a cap of 300 minutes per day and 3,000 minutes of local and STD calls for 70 days.
Rs 399 4G plan for pre-paid offers 1GB of 4G data per day (500MB between 12 am and 6 am, 500MB between 7 am and 11 pm) for 70 days. It comes with a cap of 300 minutes of Airtel-to-Airtel calls per day, or 1,200 minutes of calls per week and 3,000 minutes of local or STD calls for 70 days.
Airtel offers 30GB of free data to its post-paid subscribers for those who opt for the afore-mentioned plans. Customers can use 10GB of data per month under this plan with no cap on daily usage.
Also read: Best 4G data tariff plans for June 2017
Vodafone
Rs 352 4G plan for pre-paid subscribers offers 1GB of 4G data per day for 56 days, which means 56GB of data. It also offers unlimited local and STD calls with a cap of 300 minutes per day and 1,200 minutes per week but no free SMS option.
Idea Cellular
The operator offers 1GB of 4G data per day for 28 days, which is 28GB of data in total, and unlimited free calls. To avail of this offer, a subscriber must have 4G-enabled SIM card and 4G handset.
BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited)
The state-run telecom operator is giving its competitors, especially Reliance Jio, a run for their money, with its Rs 339 plan. BSNL pre-paid subscribers can avail of 2GB of 4G data daily for 28 days in this plan. The offer also comes with unlimited voice call within the same network.
