New Delhi: In a move aimed at providing relief to its customer base, leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel has reintroduced its highly popular Rs 299 prepaid recharge plan after a hiatus of nearly three months. While the revival of the affordable plan is a positive development for budget-conscious subscribers, the company has slightly modified the daily data benefits offered in the package.
Under the relaunched Rs 299 plan, Airtel customers will enjoy a validity of 28 days, complete with unlimited voice calling across all networks and a quota of 100 free SMS per day. However, the data allowance has been adjusted. Previously, the plan offered 1.5GB of high-speed internet per day. In the revised structure, users will receive 1GB of daily data, amounting to a total of 28GB over the entire validity period.
According to market analysts, this strategic decision comes at a time when Airtel’s mobile subscriber growth rate has shown signs of slowing down. By reintroducing a cost-effective recharge option, the telecom giant aims to retain its current user base and prevent customers from migrating to rival networks offering cheaper alternatives.
The slight reduction in data volume—amounting to 500MB less per day—is expected to impact heavy internet consumers who frequently stream high-definition videos, heavily use social media, or play online games. Users who exceed the 1GB daily limit will have to rely on additional data add-on vouchers or upgrade to a higher-priced plan to maintain high-speed connectivity.
Airtel had abruptly discontinued the Rs 299 plan along with several other packages, including the Rs 319, Rs 579, Rs 619, and Rs 649 options, in August 2026 as part of a broader tariff restructuring. Following the withdrawal, customers seeking 28 days of validity and similar daily data benefits were forced to opt for the Rs 349 plan. Although the Rs 349 plan offered 1.5GB of daily data and unlimited 5G access, it essentially resulted in a 16.7 percent increase in monthly recharge expenses for users who originally preferred the Rs 299 tier.
With the return of the Rs 299 plan, Airtel subscribers now have an affordable, reliable option for calling and moderate internet usage without needing to stretch their monthly mobile budgets.