Airtel launches voice-only plans at ₹185, ₹203 and ₹206 after TRAI's mandate: What each plan offers

Bharti Airtel has rolled out three prepaid plans offering voice calls and SMS without mobile data, becoming the first telecom operator to introduce such offerings in line with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) new norms.

The plans, priced at ₹185, ₹203 and ₹206, offer unlimited local, STD and roaming calls, along with 300 SMS, PTI reported citing sources.

Airtel’s three voice-only recharge plans

The ₹185 plan, the cheapest of the three, comes with a validity of 28 days. The ₹203 plan offers 30 days of validity for ₹18 more, while the ₹206 plan remains valid for one calendar month and renews on the same date in the following month, the news agency stated.

All three plans by Airtel include free HelloTunes, allowing subscribers to set a new caller tune every 30 days at no additional cost.

Who will benefit from Airtel’s new plans?

The plans are aimed at subscribers who primarily use their phones for calling and messaging rather than mobile internet.

These include feature phone users, people maintaining a secondary SIM mainly for calls, and subscribers who rely largely on Wi-Fi for internet access.

For these customers, a recharge plan without bundled data could offer an alternative to paying for services they may not use. The shorter validity periods also allow subscribers to make smaller recharge commitments instead of paying upfront for longer-duration plans.

The new offerings expand Airtel’s prepaid portfolio for customers whose mobile usage is focused on voice calls and SMS.

What are TRAI’s new rules on voice-only plans?

The rollout follows TRAI’s directive asking telecom operators to offer special tariff vouchers (STVs) exclusively for voice calls and SMS, with an appropriate reduction in tariffs.

In September, the regulator mandated operators to provide voice-and-SMS-only vouchers without bundled data services. The move is intended to give subscribers who do not need mobile internet access to dedicated recharge options.

Operators were asked to offer voice-and-SMS-only STVs similar to existing special tariff vouchers that bundle voice calls, SMS and data and carry a validity of 30 days or less.

“Provided also that the service provided shall offer special tariff vouchers (STVs) with appropriate reduction in tariff, exclusively for voice and SMS,” TRAI had said.