Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has now formally reduced the validity and benefits of its cost-effective BSNL Rs. 197 prepaid plan, and this might act as a disappointment for budget-stricken subscribers. Formerly also a 70-day validity and super core offer-laden plan, the plan has been revamped entirely.
What’s New in the BSNL Rs. 197 Plan?
The latest information from BSNL’s official website reveals that the Rs 197 plan under BSNL is now valid only for 54 days. That is a reduction of 16 days from an original offering of 70 days. Even more notably, the unlimited voice calling feature is no longer supported.
For those unaware, the BSNL Rs. 197 prepaid plan was earlier providing:
- 70 days of validity
- Unlimited voice calling for 15 days
- 2GB data per day for 15 days
- 100 SMS per day for 15 days
- 15-day of free access to the Zing Music app
Now, as part of the revised plan, users receive:
- 54 days validity
- 300 minutes in the form of voice calls (local and STD)
- 4GB total data
- 100 SMS messages (total)
- Post data-exhaustion velocity 40kbps Max.\
These revisions make a serious downgrade on prepaid subscribers who earlier chose the BSNL Rs. 197 plan to keep their number active and get some benefits.
Why This Change Matters
With the decreasing validity and core benefits, the BSNL Rs. 197 plan will be less attractive to those subscribers who chose it for being low-cost and high on value. The new plan is even more disappointing to those who were dependent on the original plan for endless calling and daily data.
This option used to be a work around for people who didn’t need to use the card daily but wanted the number active. That being said, considering it offers 300 minutes of voice calling, and the 4GB overall data limit, the new BSNL Rs. 197 plan may not see a lot of takers who may prefer alternatives.
Financial, Network Growth of BSNL
Oh, and while they do all this cost cutting, back in India BSNL has been turning the financial corner. The company recorded a profit after tax of Rs. 280 crore for Q4 of FY 2024-25, as against a loss of Rs. 849 crore in Q4 of FY 2023-24.
During that same quarter BSNL also invested heavily into their infrastructure:
- Rs. 15,324 crore invested in network towers and equipment
- Rs. 10,698 crore earmarked for buying spectrum
- Continued emphasis on 4G expansion and fiber deployment
These changes reflect that even though the BSNL Rs. 197 plan has been trimmed down, the telco is focusing on making the long-term infrastructure and connectivity improvements in minds of customers.
FAQ
How much is the new validity in the BSNL Rs. 197 plan?
Do you get unlimited calling under this plan?
How much is the data benefit in the new BSNL Rs 197 plan?
Are SMS benefits still included?
Can I still get to Zing Music with this plan?
Final Thoughts
The BSNL Rs. 197 plan was among the affordable plans earlier ideally for casual users, it was a nice pack with a decent daily data limit, unlimited call benefits and long validity. But the new one has less lures, and it might prompt many to switch over to the nearest rival with voice and data that’s more reasonable. However, as BSNL eyes long-term growth on the back of huge infrastructure investments, the recent changes to the BSNL Rs. 197 plan could lead to some decline in its prepaid subscriber base in the short run.
