Bharti Airtel has listed three prepaid plans that offer only calling and texting, with no mobile data. They are priced at Rs. 185, Rs. 203 and Rs. 206, and they now appear on both the Airtel app and website.
What each Airtel plan offers
All three plans include unlimited local, STD and roaming calls, 300 SMS and free HelloTunes. They differ in price and validity:
Airtel prepaid plan at Rs. 185: Valid for 28 days, working out to about Rs. 6.61 a day.
Airtel prepaid plan at Rs. 203: Valid for 30 days, or about Rs. 6.77 a day.
Airtel prepaid plan at Rs. 206: Valid for one calendar month, renewing on the same date each month.
How the Rs. 206 plan works
The Rs. 206 plan does not have a fixed number of days. According to Airtel, validity follows the calendar month, so it lasts 31 days in January and 28 in February. The per-day cost therefore changes from month to month. In a 31-day month it comes to roughly Rs. 6.65 a day, by simple division.
Data needs a separate recharge
Subscribers who want to use the internet must buy a separate data-only pack alongside these plans.
The regulatory backdrop
TRAI had recently asked operators to introduce voice and SMS-only plans. In January 2025, the regulator had amended its tariff rules to require operators to offer separate voice and SMS plans for customers who do not need data. TRAI cited about 150 million Indians who still use feature phones.
