Bharti Airtel launches 'unlimited' broadband plans starting at Rs 499

On the heels of Reliance Jio offering cheap broadband services, Bharti Airtel on Sunday launched “unlimited” category broadband plans starting at Rs 499 per month. These will come bundled with subscription to video entertainment apps and high-definition set-top boxes against a refundable deposit.

Airtel said it had enhanced high-speed data usage limit (fair-usage policy) by up to 23 times in the revised plans to 3,500 gigabytes.

Last week, Jio had announced new plans for JioFiber broadband starting at a monthly price of Rs 399 with no limit on data usage. This is, by far, the lowest price for broadband services.

In Jio’s new plans, that started from September 1, entertainment app Netflix is on offer for customers subscribing the costliest bundle.

Airtel said its new and revised plans will be rolled out from September 7 across 125 cities where the company has operations, and in new cities where it will gradually expand its footprint.

Airtel’s new plans will comprise an entry-level plan of Rs 499 with promised speed of 40 megabits per second, and revised Rs 799, Rs 999 and Rs 1,499 plans.

“All Airtel Xstream Fiber plans now include a set-top box worth Rs 3,999 that makes any television a smart TV. Customers get access to all live TV channels plus the best of video streaming apps, effectively eliminating the need for multiple entertainment devices at home,” Airtel said in a statement on Sunday.

All new plans will now come bundled with unlimited phone calls, option of Airtel Xstream 4K TV box against refundable security deposit of Rs 1,500, and Airtel Xstream apps, which offer aggregated content from seven over-the-top entertainment apps and five studios, the firm said.

Airtel said subscribers would be able to access 550 TV channels, over 10,000 movies and shows on Airtel Xstream apps, Google Play Store apps, along with online gaming, through its Android enabled set-top box.

The plans priced between Rs 999 to Rs 3,999 will come bundled with subscription fees of Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, and Zee5 as well.

“Airtel Xstream brings the best of entertainment along with unlimited high-speed broadband connectivity into a single solution. To drive penetration of this exciting innovation, we are today making our plans even more accessible for customers,” Sunil Taldar, director-homes at Bharti Airtel, said.

Earlier, Airtel was offering 100 Mbps speed with 150 GB FUP (fair-usage policy) limit in Rs 799 plan, 200 Mbps speed with 300 GB FUP in Rs 999 plan, 300 Mbps speed with 500 GB FUP in Rs 1,499 plan, and 1 Gbps speed with no data cap in the Rs 3,999 plan.