The Indian state-owned telecom giant BSNL has unearthed a lucrative unlimited calling and data plan against only RS. 97/month for the buyers of the Bharat phone manufactured by Micromax. With a price tag of mere Rs. 2200, Bharat phone supports 4G VoLTE as well as 3G connection and directly competes with the Jio Phone.
The Telecom Minister of India, Manoj Sinha said during the service launch, “I am glad that BSNL has come with 2 new schemes. This will not only increase BSNL subscribers but also strengthen their financial position. On monthly recharge of Rs 97, BSNL will provide unlimited calling and data on Bharat Phone. I believe that BSNL will get a special spot in the ongoing competition in the sector,”, Currently, only Reliance and Airtel provides 4G services
Currently, only Reliance and Airtel provide 4G VoLTE services in India and BSNL is planning to launch their own service from January 2018. The CMD of BSNL, Anupam Shrivastava commented on this matter, “We are proud that we are partnering with Micromax, a home-grown player on the auspicious occasion of Dhanteras. This will connect the unconnected masses in the rural area at a very affordable rate. We are in process to start 4G services in January,”
Speaking of the specs of the Bharat phone, it features a 2.4-inch screen, sports a 2-megapixel rear camera, powered by a Qualcomm 4G set paired with 512 MB RAM and 3GB of internal memory. The handset also features a VGA front camera and is backed a 2000mAh battery. The CEO and Co-Founder of Micromax Rahul Sharma said in launch event, “The phone will cost Rs 2,200 and its effective price will be cheaper than that of competitors in the market,”Later he also added, “After one year of use, the Bharat Phone cost along with monthly coupon of Rs 97 from BSNL will be around Rs 28 expensive compared to the rate of competition but after completion of 2 years it will be cheaper by about Rs 600 compared to competition,”