Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited or MTNL today announced that it was going to offer 2GB of data every day besides unlimited on-net calls for Rs 319 per month. The new offer takes effect from April 1. This marks one of the strongest war cries of any state-owned telecom operator in the domestic market. The move is being seen as being a desperate gambit in order to stop Reliance Jio’s relentless onslaught.
One of the factors which determined the offer is that this also marks the 31st anniversary of MTNL. In a statement, the state-run telco stated,”On its 31st anniversary, MTNL announces new plan from April 1, 2017, that offers 2 GB of 3G data per day and unlimited calling within MTNL network for Rs 319 for Delhi and Mumbai mobile customers.”
MTNL and BSNL are tow of the biggest state-owned telecom operators in the country, with BSNL being easily the biggest. Currently, MTNL has its biggest operations in Delhi and Mumbai. These two metros provide some of the most high-value customers for the carrier. MTNL’s new plan will be operational for 28 days like other networks.
How Does This Match Up To Other Operators’ Plans?
This new MTNL plan comes after Bharti Airtel, which is the country’s largest telecom operator, came up with the all-new plans which will offer 1GB of 4G data every day. This is nearly half of what MTNL has to offer. The data plans come bundled with unlimited calls as well. This is seen to be a weapon against Reliance Jio’s Prime plan. Airtel offers a Rs 345 plan which makes way for 1GB of 4G data per day in association with certain local and STD voice calls free every month. The 1GB of data is divided into 500MB of data for use in daytime and 500MB for use at night.
Recently, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular joined hands to join the fight against Reliance Jio. These two companies have also come up with their own plans to counter Jio’s juggernaut. For example, Vodafone India’s new Rs 342 plan will give selected users unlimited calls and 28 GB of data per month, in a fair usage policy.