BSNL is witnessing a revival, at least that's what it seems like on social media. Many users have announced that they are moving to the state-owned company after the recent price hikes introduced by Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, and Vodafone Idea. The price hike is by up to 25 per cent. The highest difference can be seen in the long-term plans or the annual plans. Here we'll share some of the latest plans from BSNL and how they compare with Reliance Jio and Airtel.
BSNL Rs 2395 plan Validity: 395 days Data: 2GB/day Voice: Unlimited SMS: 100 SMS/day
Clearly, the validity is almost a month more than any other annual plan. The data plan is much cheaper compared to Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. However, the issue of connectivity remains as Jio and Airtel offer 5G speeds compared to BSNL's 3G and 4G speeds.
Airtel Rs 3599 plan Validity: 365 days Data: 2GB/day Voice: Unlimited SMS: 100 SMS/day
A direct comparison will show that Airtel is much more expensive compared to BSNL. The Airtel plan is almost 50 per cent more expensive compared to BSNL. However, there are some benefits like 5G network coverage. Airtel also offers Unlimited 5G with all plans that offer 2GB of data per day or more. This gives the user a huge advantage if they reside in an area that gets 5G connectivity.
Reliance Jio Rs 3599 plan Validity: 365 days Data: 2.5GB/day Voice: Unlimited SMS: 100 SMS/day
Reliance Jio doesn't offer an annual plan that provides 2GB of data per day. Instead, at the same price point as Airtel, the company is offering 0.5 GB of additional data daily. Like Airtel plans, Reliance Jio plans with 2GB of data per day or more offer unlimited 5G data. This annual plan is also eligible for unlimited data.
Vodafone Idea Rs 3699 plan
Validity: 365 days Data: 2GB/day Voice: Unlimited SMS: 100 SMS/day
The Vodafone Idea plan also offers 4G internet, similar to BSNL. However, you get 1 year Disney+ Hotstar subscription with this plan. Additionally, this plan offers a 'Binge all night' feature that doesn't deduct any data from your plan from 12 pm to 6 am. Vi also provides weekend data rollover.
Conclusion BSNL is a clear winner in terms of value for money. However, it lags behind in terms of data speed and limit. Vodafone Idea provides a good plan for those interested in entertainment as their primary need. For users residing in areas that have stable 5G, the annual plans offered by Jio and Airtel could deliver more as there's no limit or cap on 5G data. This is especially beneficial for heavy data users. BSNL, on the other hand, will downgrade the data speed to 40mbps after the user exhausts the 2GB data per day data limit.