Bharti Airtel gains 4% on rolling out new postpaid plans

Airtel said it has simplified its Postpaid plans to offer industry leading data benefits backed by a 5G ready network and superior digital-first customer care

Shares of Bharti Airtel, the country’s premier communications solutions company, moved higher by 4 per cent to Rs 546.80 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Thursday after the announcement of new postpaid plans for corporate and retail customers.

"In the post-pandemic world, an abundance of high-speed data is increasingly becoming a key need for customers as Work From Home and Online Education is the new normal. In this context, Airtel has further simplified its Postpaid plans to offer industry-leading data benefits backed by a 5G ready network and superior digital-first customer care. The plans also come with a range of exclusive benefits such as bundled content and business productivity tools," Airtel said in a press release.

For retail customers, the prices of Airtel postpaid plans start at Rs 399 per month and for corporate customers at Rs 299 per month.

A key feedback Airtel received from customers was the need for more data as the entire family’s use of digital platforms has increased manifold, the company said, adding that as a response, Airtel has refreshed its Family Postpaid plans to help its customers navigate the new normal. With its simplified Postpaid proposition, customers can also easily bundle add on connections with enhanced data benefits to their existing plans, Airtel further said.

The company has discontinued its Rs 749 Family Postpaid Plan for new customers and will now offer Rs 999 as the only Family Postpaid Plan with enhanced data benefits. Now, its customers can add a connection to any Airtel Postpaid plan at just Rs 299/SIM and get 30 GB additional data (10 GB earlier), unlimited calling and Thanks benefits. CLICK HERE FOR FULL RELEASE

Furthermore, Bharti Airtel on Wednesday had announced collaboration with Intel Corporation for 5G network development by leveraging virtual and open radio access network (O-RAN) technologies and making indigenous solutions. Airtel and other telecommunications (telecom) operators are conducting 5G trials in select cities across India.

The stock of Bharti Airtel was underperforming market since the past one year. In the last three months, it has gained 2.6 per cent as compared to a 10 per cent rally in the S&P BSE Sensex. In the past one year, it is down 4 per cent compared with a 39 per cent gain in the benchmark index.

Shares of Vodafone Idea were trading 4 per cent higher at Rs 9.37 on the BSE at 02:40 pm after hitting a high of Rs 9.55 in intra-day trade today amid reports that the government has approved a proposal from the company for an investment of up to Rs 15,000 crore via the foreign direct investment (FDI) route.