Bharti Airtel has introduced three voice-only prepaid plans priced at ₹185, ₹203 and ₹206 ahead of the October 21 deadline set by TRAI. These plans offer unlimited calls and 300 SMS without bundled data. Many users who do not use mobile data got a new way to recharge their phones.

Airtel has introduced voice-only prepaid plans priced at ₹185, ₹203 and ₹206, offering unlimited calls and 300 SMS. The move comes ahead of TRAI's October 21 deadline for operators to provide recharge options without bundled mobile data.

Bharti Airtel has introduced three voice-only prepaid recharge plans priced at ₹185, ₹203 and ₹206, ahead of the October 21 deadline set by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for telecom operators to offer plans without bundled data.

The plans offer unlimited local and national voice calls and 300 SMS each. The ₹185 plan has a validity of 28 days, while the ₹203 plan is valid for 30 days. The ₹206 plan comes with calendar-month validity. All three plans are listed on Airtel's app for prepaid subscribers.

Airtel is the first telecom operator to introduce the new range of voice-only packs, with Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea (Vi) also required to comply with the regulator's directive.

TRAI's deadline puts voice-only plans back in focus

In September, TRAI directed telecom operators to offer special tariff vouchers for voice calls and SMS without bundled data. The regulator set October 21 as the compliance deadline, allowing operators 30 days to implement the requirement.

The directive addresses demand from consumers who do not need mobile data and rely primarily on voice calls and text messages. Existing recharge options often bundle 4G or 5G data, which may offer limited value to users who do not use these services.

Feature phone users could benefit from separate tariffs

Rising component costs have pushed up handset prices, encouraging some consumers to retain their existing devices for longer. Voice-only plans could give these users an option to recharge without paying for data they do not need.

TRAI's directive also requires operators to offer voice-only plans with validity periods of 30 days or less, in line with the validity options available for plans that include mobile data.

Airtel could introduce a longer-validity voice-only plan at a later stage, depending on demand for the newly launched packs.