BSNL takes on Reliance Jio; launches 1GB per day plan at Rs 249

BSNL has launched a new plan to counter Reliance Jio's reach in most non-metro cities. The state-owned company has launched a prepaid plan at Rs 249 which will very much like Reliance Jio offer 1GB data daily.
Other than 1GB data per day, BSNL will be offering unlimited BSNL to BSNL calling. Comparing it to Reliance Jio, these plans are much cheaper but do not offer Jio's 4G speeds. For a similar offer with a data limit of 1GB data per day, Jio members will have to pay around Rs 399. The BSNL Rs 249 offer comes with a 28 day validity period.
BSNL had also launched a more expensive offer at Rs 429 that offers 1GB data per day for a period of 90 days which is a better match for Reliance Jio's Rs 399 offer.
Though BSNL is still operating on 2G and 3G spectrums, the state-owned company is planning to soon launch its 4G services with VoLTE. Also, BSNL is working on 5G speeds to prepare for future competition in the growing segment.
Most telecom companies are shifting to a new strategy to acquire more users. After Reliance Jio launched the JioPhone in July this year, other telecom brands are also preparing their arsenal with ultra-cheap smartphones or feature phones that can operate on 4G networks.
BSNL is no different; the company is planning to launch a feature phone before Diwali this year. "Our strategy is away from procurement. We are trying to come up with our own bundled phone equipments and in about a month time, you will see co-branded feature phones with various manufactures will come," said BSNL chairman Anupam Shrivastava
The company will be working with Indian phone manufacturers like Micromax and Lava to build this new device. According to the company, they will be launching the device with bundled voice packages. This new deal with Indian manufacturers will help them revive from the falling market share in lieu of the aggressive competition from their Chinese counterparts like Oppo, Xiaomi and Vivo.