Airtel drops Rs 299 prepaid plan in push towards higher-value users

Bharti Airtel has discontinued its Rs 299 daily-data prepaid pack, reinforcing a tariff-premiumisation strategy. Axis Securities expects Airtel and Jio to focus on ARPU growth, higher-value 4G/5G subscribers and enterprise services as 5G capex intensity moderates.

— Source published Sat, 15 Aug, 2026, 12:07 IST · First seen Sat, 15 Aug, 2026, 12:28 IST · Source Financial Express · BrandWagon

What happened

Bharti Airtel discontinued cheaper prepaid packs including its Rs 299 daily-data plan, signalling tariff premiumisation. Axis Securities expects Airtel and Jio

Key facts

  • Rs 299 prepaid plan discontinued
  • 1GB data per day
  • Airtel ARPU: Rs 264 in June quarter
  • Airtel ARPU growth: 5.6% year-on-year
  • Reliance Jio ARPU: Rs 216
  • Nxtra added 11 customers in the June quarter
  • Nxtra long-term capacity target: 1 gigawatt

Why this matters

As consumer pricing shifts upward, Airtel is likely to prioritize partnerships and acquisitions that deepen enterprise services, 5G monetisation and high-value customer engagement.

What to watch

  • Airtel's next quarterly prepaid subscriber base, churn rate, and ARPU movement versus the Rs 264 June-quarter level.
  • Recharge mix shifts toward plans above Rs 299 and changes in average data usage per subscriber.
  • Jio's and Vodafone Idea's responses on comparable 1.5GB/2GB-per-day prepaid packs.
  • Mobile number portability trends and active subscriber additions after the plan withdrawal.
  • Management commentary on whether 5G capex intensity is declining and whether free 5G access becomes more tightly linked to premium plans.
  • Evidence of another broad industry tariff hike or removal of additional low-priced packs.
  • Promote higher-value 28-day and longer-validity recharge packs with bundled 5G access, OTT content, or data add-ons.
  • Target affected Rs 299 users with personalized migration offers rather than broad discounts.
  • Increase emphasis on postpaid, home broadband, fixed-wireless access, and enterprise connectivity to diversify ARPU growth.
  • Maintain network-quality messaging to justify price-tier migration versus Jio and Vodafone Idea.
  • Use selective data top-up pricing to monetize heavy users without reinstating the discontinued base pack.