BSNL Recharge Plans Become 20% More Expensive Without Price Hike, Customers Feel Cheated

Bengaluru: BSNL appears to be playing a stealthy game with its customers. While the company has not increased the prices of its prepaid recharge plans, many of them have effectively become more expensive. This is because BSNL has reduced the validity of several popular plans, resulting in an implicit tariff hike of up to 20%.

The Hidden Price Increase
Amid ongoing reports of tariff hikes expected from telecom operators starting 1 December, BSNL’s move could negatively impact its customers. Despite previously assuring users that it would not raise plan prices, the government-owned telecom company has quietly shortened the validity period of its prepaid plans, making them costlier per day of service.

Some affected plans include:

• ₹99 Plan: Previously offered unlimited calls and 50MB data for 15 days. Now valid for 14 days.
• ₹107 Plan: Popular plan with 200 minutes of calling and 3GB data, validity reduced from 28 to 22 days, effectively a 20% price increase.
• ₹197 Plan: Offered 300 minutes and 4GB data for 48 days, now valid for 42 days.
• ₹147 Plan: Unlimited calls and 5GB data, validity reduced from 25 to 24 days.
• ₹153 Plan: Unlimited calls and 1GB daily data, validity reduced from 25 to 24 days.
• ₹439 Plan: Unlimited calls and 300 SMS, validity reduced from 90 to 80 days.
• ₹879 Plan: Unlimited calls and 24GB data, validity reduced from 180 to 165 days.

Customer Backlash
Many users have noticed this quiet tactic and are expressing dissatisfaction on social media platforms. Customers have accused BSNL of making plans more expensive without formally raising prices, which could lead to a reduction in its user base.

BSNL’s Strategy
BSNL has been introducing various plans to attract customers and compete with private operators like Airtel and Jio, including launching 4G services. However, many users remain dissatisfied, citing slow internet speeds and lack of cost-effective offerings. Instead of increasing plan prices directly, BSNL has been using the validity reduction as a subtle way to raise tariffs, drawing criticism from its subscribers.

This move highlights the growing challenges for government-owned telecom operators to retain customers while competing in a rapidly evolving market.