There is good news for Vi users. Vodafone Idea (Vi) has launched four new voice-only prepaid recharge plans in India. Their starting price is Rs 179. Unlimited calling and 300 SMS are available in all these plans. The special thing is that these do not include the benefit of mobile data.
Vi has listed four new voice-only recharge plans on its website. The company has introduced these plans in compliance with the recent order of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The validity of these plans ranges from 25 days to one month.
The cheapest voice-only plan of Vi is Rs 179. In this, users get unlimited calling, validity of 25 days and 300 SMS. Along with this, free access to Vi Movies and TV app is also being given, through which users can stream content without any extra charge.
Apart from this, there is also a plan of Rs 189. In this, you get the benefit of unlimited calling and 300 SMS. However, its validity is 28 days. Unlike the Rs 179 plan, it does not provide access to Vi Movies and TV app.
The company has introduced another voice-only plan of Rs 203. It offers unlimited calling, 300 SMS and validity of 30 days.
At the same time, the most expensive voice-only plan of Vi is Rs 206. It has a validity of one month with unlimited calling and 300 SMS. Free access to Vi Movies and TV app is also not included in this plan.
Why did TRAI give the new order?
In a notification issued on September 21, TRAI had directed telecom companies to offer special tariff vouchers (STV) for voice calling and SMS only. Its purpose is to provide cheap recharge option to such customers who do not need mobile data.
According to TRAI, low-income customers, especially those living in rural areas and feature phone users, want affordable plans with less validity. Expensive recharge can put additional burden on their pockets.
Under the new rule, the validity of these STVs should be renewed on the same date every month. If that date is not available in any month, then renewal will be done on the last date of that month.
Airtel has also launched such plans
Before Vi, Airtel had also launched three voice-only prepaid plans after TRAI’s order. The validity of Airtel’s Rs 189, Rs 203 and Rs 206 plans is the same as Vi. In this way, the price and benefits of the new voice-only recharge plans of both the companies are almost the same.
