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Airtel Launches Unlimited 5G Data For All After Jio’s Postpaid Salvo

All Airtel postpaid customers and prepaid customers on a data plan of Rs 239 and above can now access unlimited 5G data.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>A girl checks her mobile phone as she walks past the Bharti Airtel office building in Gurugram. (Photo: Adnan Abidi/Reuters)</p></div>
A girl checks her mobile phone as she walks past the Bharti Airtel office building in Gurugram. (Photo: Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

Bharti Airtel Ltd. has announced the launch of unlimited 5G data for all customers in what is seen as an attempt to retain its high-paying users.

All postpaid customers and those prepaid customers with a data plan of Rs 239 and above can now access unlimited 5G data on their compatible devices, India's second-largest telecom operator said in an exchange filing on Friday. Customers can simply log on to the Airtel Thanks App and claim the offer.

"This introductory offer is in line with our philosophy of wanting our customers to be able to surf, stream, chat, and enjoy multiple benefits at blazing speeds without having to worry about data limits," Shashwat Sharma, director-consumer business at Bharti Airtel, said in the filing. "We hope our customers enjoy the power of world-class Airtel 5G Plus."

Airtel 5G Plus, according to the company, has up to 30 times the speed of 4G. It is available to customers in more than 270 cities in India. A nationwide coverage is likely by March 2024.

Airtel’s 5G salvo comes days after Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. unveiled new postpaid plans for both the family and the individual.

The Jio Plus family postpaid plans allow a family of four to try the services free of charge for a month. The Rs 399 per month plan provides 75 GB data at 5G speeds with unlimited calling and messaging. The Rs 699 per month offers 100 GB data at 5G speeds with unlimited calling and messaging, as well as subscriptions to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. A single bill is generated for the entire family.

Still, that’s unlikely to shake Airtel’s grip on its high-paying users, according to analysts.

That’s because postpaid users are an extremely sticky lot, according to Mayuresh Joshi, head of equity research at William O’Neil & Co. in India.

"For a postpaid user, it becomes very difficult to switch operators, and the telecom companies know that," he told BQ Prime. "There's very little churn in terms of postpaid, and they do not get swayed by offers."

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