Airtel Reintroduces ₹299 Plan to Stem Churn Amid Slowing Growth

Public Lokpal
November 07, 2026

Bharti Airtel has restored its popular ₹299 prepaid plan following a sharp slowdown in subscriber additions and rising customer churn. Net user additions dropped dramatically to 716,000 in Q2, down from 3.3 million in Q1, after the operator removed the entry-level plan in August.

The withdrawal forced price-sensitive subscribers toward the ₹349 tier—a nearly 17% price hike—prompting many to switch to rivals like Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, which maintained lower entry tariffs.

While the change briefly boosted average revenue per user (ARPU) to ₹271, the resulting subscriber loss exposed the limits of unilateral price increases in India’s cost-conscious prepaid market.

The restored ₹299 plan delivers 1GB daily data, unlimited calling, and 100 SMS per day for 28 days.

Moving forward, Airtel plans to drive ARPU growth through organic upgrades and postpaid expansion rather than forced tariff hikes.