Tag: Airtel

Airtel Gearing Up To Boost High Speed Data Network With Project LEAP
Airtel has taken some more steps towards its goal of its complete network transformation. The telecom provider, which is one of the leading in India and was at one point of time, amongst the largest int he world, plans to get back on track. Airtel’s 4G network already covers 100% of Karnataka. It is the only telecom provider in the region to offer 4G, 3G and 2G services. to give a recap of its journey in the state, here are some numbers:
- 4G services on 2300 MHz launched in 2012
- 4G services on 1800 MHz launched in 2015
- VoLTE services launched in November 2017
- Towns and villages covered by network – 39,000
Now, in an effort to maintain their lead in this territory, the company will rollout 13,000 new mobile tower sites and also spread a 4500 km long optical fibre network that will enable them to boost high speed data network capacity.

Also Read: Google Building A Separate Search Engine For China

This rollout will also include deployment of Pre-5G Massive MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) technology in vital residential and commercial hubs. However, the success in Karnataka is just a demonstration of the ongoing Project LEAP.

Project LEAP:

Airtel started working on project LEAP back in 2015 and planned a massive investment of Rs 60,000 crore. Some of that has already been used up and the remaining will be spent in the upcoming future.

The key points of project LEAP are:
- Create India’s first Open Network – An open network will allow users to see the mobile network coverage in their area with the help of simple colour schemes. These colour schemes will define whether the network quality in their location is excellent, good, moderate or has no-coverage.
- Users will also be able to locate company outlets and service centers with the help of a graphical map an easy to read colour schemes.
- Under project LEAP, Airtel also plans to strengthen their network of mobile towers throughout the nation. The company will upgrade current towers and will also increase the number of towers.
A New Telecom Leader?

Airtel might be taking these steps as a counter-attack towards Jio. Airtel posted it first loss in 15 years, months after the arrival of Jio. Furthermore, Jio is continuously gaining traction since its launch. Jio scaled quickly because it adapted 4G technology faster than Airtel and now Airtel is trying to use the same trick to get back its lost marketshare. Airtel wants to be prepared when the 5G devices come out in 2019. It will allow Airtel to fight hard against big telecom players like Jio and the recently announced merger of Aditya Birla’s Idea and Vodafone group.
September 26, 2018
Amazon Will Now Deliver SIM Cards To Your Doorstep

Amazon, the e-commerce giant will now start delivering Airtel and Vodafone SIM cards. The company claims to deliver free SIM cards, however, Airtel is asking for a security deposit of Rs 200 and Vodafone costs Rs 15.

Both, Airtel and Vodafone are offering Postpaid SIM cards along with a few good plans. The Airtel connection is available for Rs 499, Rs 799, Rs 1,199 and Rs 1,599. On the flip side, consukers who want to buy a Vodafone SIM can opt for RED plans including Rs 499, Rs 699, Rs 999, Rs 1,699, Rs 1,999 and 2,999.

A user can also avail cash back on the first recharge of operators. Airtel customers get flat Rs 75 cash back on recharge of above Rs 349, Jio users will receive a cash back of Rs 99 on the payment of Rs 399 or more, while Aircel customers can avail up toRs 75 on an unlimited plan, and for the rest of the operators, you can get a cash back of Rs 50 on the first payment.

Apart from this, Amazon has also listed a host of international SIM cards as well, which include connections of the countries such as US, UK, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Hong Kong, Australia, Belgium and more.

November 21, 2017

Airtel is Offering Free Unlimited Calls With New Plans

Airtel has just launched new Mobile plans in India, called myPlan Infinity they offer unlimited voice calling, STD and Roaming, however Data is fixed.

For Rs. 1199/- customers gets unlimited voice calling: local, STD, and on national roaming along with 100 SMS per day. 1GB 3G/4G data and free subscription to Wynk Music and Wynk Movies.

The Rs. 1599/- plan gets unlimited voice calling: local, STD, and on national roaming along with 100 SMS per day, 5GB 3G/4G data and free subscription to Wynk Music and Wynk Movies. More plans detailed below. To activate a plan you can use the Airtel App or visit http://www.airtel.in/4g

Airtel Unlimited Voice Calling Plans / myPlan Infinity
Price	Rs. 1199/-	Rs. 1599/-	Rs. 1999/-	Rs. 2999/-
Data quota	1GB 3G/4G	5GB 3G/4G	10GB 3G/4G	20GB 3G/4G
Voice	Unlimited Local calls + STD + Roaming	Unlimited local calls + STD + Roaming	Unlimited local calls + STD + Roaming	Unlimited local calls + STD + Roaming
Pay-as-you-go rate on data^#	50p/MB	50p/MB	50p/MB	50p/MB
SMS	100 SMS per day	100 SMS per day	100 SMS per day	100 SMS per day
Wynk Music offer^##	Unlimited music	Unlimited music	Unlimited music	Unlimited music
Wynk Movies offer^##	Unlimited movies (Eros Now/Hooq)	Unlimited movies (Eros Now/Hooq)	Unlimited movies (Eros Now/Hooq)	Unlimited movies (Eros Now/Hooq)

##Only content subscription on Wynk Music & Wynk Movies is free, data access charges appl

August 5, 2016

How To Port Your Number Using Mobile Number Portability
On the 3rd of July, telecom companies around India launched the National Mobile Number Portability (NMNP). This means that you can now move from one city to another and still retain your mobile number. While many may be aware of this already, we decided to provide a step-by-step guide for those who may not know the proper procedure to port their number and a few things to keep in mind before doing so.

Step 1 : Generate An Eight-Digit Unique Porting Code

The first thing you have to do is generate an eight-digit Unique Porting Code by sending “PORT <10-digit mobile number>” to 1900. You will then receive an SMS of the UPC code and the UPC expiration date.

Step 2 : Get The Required Documents

Before you head to your mobile operating store, you’ll need to carry along a few documents. You will need an ID proof, address proof, a passport size photograph, and a copy of your last paid bill (in case of post-paid customers). Airtel customers can carry forward the existing talk-time or outstanding/pending bills to the new telecom service.

Step 3 : Visit The New Mobile Operator Store

Once you have your UPC code and required documents ready, you can visit the mobile operator store you wish to switch to and fill out the number porting form. You will also buy a new sim card. The whole porting process costs Rs. 19.

STEP 4 : Choose Your Plan

Both pre-paid and post-paid customers will have the option to either retain their original plan or to choose a different one based on their needs. Every operator has its own range of plans and you can pick yours at the store.

Step 5 : Processing Time

Some operators like Airtel promise that all NMNP requests will be processed within 24 hours. You will receive an SMS regarding the deactivation of your old sim card. Once deactivated, you can insert your new sim. Generally, most operators complete the porting process within 7 days.

Note : Some Important Points
- Post-paid customers must make sure any unpaid bills are paid before porting as this can hold up the porting process
- Make sure your active connection is at least 90 days old
- Some operators like Airtel and Idea require you to call 59059 for tele-verification once the new sim is activated.
September 21, 2015
Report : Google India Takes a Stand Against Net Neutrality

According to various news reports, Google could be lobbying against net neutrality in India, as it has been asking the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) to support zero rating plans.

The zero rating plans allow people to use certain web services for free, this basically also allows telecom operators to selectively offer its users access to certain applications/websites without incurring any data charges. Therefore, any telecom company that signs up for this plan would have to pay the telecom provider a large sum of money in order to make their apps and services free for users.

Early this year, Airtel had decided to offer its own Airtel Zero plan in India. This plan was said to be in violation of net neutrality. Very recently though, MediaNama reported an email exchange between Google and the IAMAI, which suggested that Google was trying to push for the removal of zero rating plans from the IAMAI’s submission to the Department of Telecom. Google has further argued that there was no unanimity among internet companies on this issue and therefore, should be removed.

In the recent past, Google has been a part of the zero rated plan, but has put it on hold to provide free data to end users in India. Some companies have still not responded to the net neutrality debate in India, however, Facebook is reported to have taken a stand supporting zero rating.

Let us know your comments on the zero rating plans and net neutrality.

Source

August 21, 2015
Airtel Launches Pan-India 4G Services

Airtel, has been launching its 4G services in various parts of the country, such as Bangalore and very recently Delhi. However, today it has launched its all India 4G services. To use this, you will have to swap your SIM card to one that supports 4G connectivity. Airtel has made this change very easy and efficient by ensuring a swapped SIMs within 10 minutes and a 4 hour doorstep delivery system.

The pricing of the 4G connectivity remains the same as the 3G, making it an affordable switch – something Indian customers always look forward to. Airtel is also launching an app called Wynk, that allows you to watch movies and videos on smartphones, as well as allows you to download and watch movies offline.

Various Airtel 4G services include an infinity plans which allows you to make unlimited calls with more data than usual, however not unlimited. The two cons of the 4G so far are – firstly, it uses up too much battery life and secondly, that it doesn’t have an unlimited data plan as yet.

With Airtel being the first mobile company in India to launch the 4G services, it is to be seen whether they capture the 4G market or not. Other companies such as Vodafone, are catching up to the 4G fever.

For more details log on to airtel.in/4G.

August 6, 2015
Airtel to Expand Company Stores By December

Airtel has decided to open up 1000 more stores by December, to give customers a first-hand experience about its 4G services and information about its low-priced handsets.

Reports suggest, that Airtel is in talks with Samsung, ZTE, Huawei and Xiaomi to launch affordable 4G devices starting from Rs. 4000, later this year. Airtel is also said to be expanding, by opening many company-owned company operated (coco) retail outlets. There are already 300 stores, and the company plans to open a 1000 more by December.

According to statistics, Airtel is said to be spread across 1.5 million outlets in towns and villages and covers approximately 86.8 per cent of the population as of March 2015. Airtel, exclusively provides 4G services in over 45 cities via TD-LTE & FDD-LTE technology.

Other competitors like, Reliance Jio Infocomm are said to re-enter the telecom business with a smartphone priced at Rs. 4000 by December, which will offer voice and data services at Rs.300-500 per month.

With Airtel’s competitors also stepping it up, it is to be seen whether Airtel will be the largest 4G providing company. However, Airtel has not confirmed any of these sources.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://www.bgr.in/news/airtel-to-add-1000-company-owned-stores-by-december-to-support-its-4g-market/”]BGR[/tw-button]

August 3, 2015
Airtel Users Experience Maximum Call Drops

We have all been recently experiencing something that has been termed as ‘call drops’, and as of June 30th 2015 Airtel has received the the most number of complaints (31) followed by Vodafone, Idea Cellular and BSNL as written by telecom minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) has also received complaints from Reliance, Aircel, MTS and Tata users too.

The Airtel CEO had written an open letter to its customers asking for their help. He mentioned that the two most important things necessary for a good service or network were sites and spectrum. He also requests customers to identify nearby mobile sites to reduce call drops in a particular locality.

But what is the government doing about this, since customers are still paying for inefficient services?

“TRAI has been monitoring the performance for service providers against the quality of service benchmarks for the various parameters through quarterly performance monitoring reports.” – Ravi Shankar Prasad

Ideally, the call drop rate should be less than 2%. Although, service providers have cited various reasons such as equipment faults, frequent load shedding in some circles, difficulty in site acquisition, shutting of existing mobile towers due to radiation concerns and restrictions near international borders. These don’t seem to be excuses but facts of this situation.

The government promises to meet telecom service providers in April as well as the second week of July, 2015 regarding the call drop issue, wherein, they have been asked to take immediate measures to address issues of call drops by radio frequency optimization, installation of new sites and in-building solutions.

However, the results of these measures are yet to be experienced.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Airtel-subscribers-suffer-maximum-call-drops-TRAI/articleshow/48184843.cms?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=TOITech”]Times Of India [/tw-button]

July 24, 2015
Airtel, Vodafone Launch Nationwide MNP from July 3

From Friday, you will be able to retain the same number anywhere in India, without changing your network operator. Today, mobile operators Bharti Airtel and Vodafone said that they would roll out nationwide mobile number portability (MNP) from July 3.

Telecom operators were supposed to roll out nationwide MNP in May. However, due to the technical challenges faced by telecom operators, the deadline of May 3 was extended by two months by Department of Telecom (DoT). According to COAI, the telecom industry body, telecom operators needed 8 weeks to make some technical changes to their networks due to changes in national numbering plan (NNP), resulting in delay.

Ajai Puri, Director, Market Operations, Bharti Airtel, said

With our complete readiness to launch National Mobile Number Portability, we aim to empower customers enabling them to retain this identity as they move across anywhere in the country. To facilitate a seamless transition we will also allow our customers to enjoy free incoming on roaming while their number portability request is being processed.

Now that Airtel and Vodafone have implemented full MNP, subscribers will be able to switch to the same or different network in a different state while retaining the same mobile number. Airtel promises that the porting request will take effect in 24 hours, which is fast when compared to the 8 days it usually takes.

To make the MNP process even more smooth, Airtel customers will enjoy free incoming on roaming while their request is processed and can transfer their prepaid balance & carry forward postpaid unbilled/billed amount. The process for national MNP will be the same as intra-city MNP.

Read about Vodafone’s latest tariff plans here.

July 2, 2015
Delhi Airtel Users Can Now Upgrade to 4G

After a successful launch of its 4G services in Chennai last month, Airtel is bringing its services to Delhi. Chennai was last to join the roster of 19 cities where Airtel is currently offering the services, some of which include Kolkata, Bengaluru, Pune, Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.

In an official email, the company stated that Airtel has launched trails exclusively for its customers in Delhi/NCR. As a part of the trial, Airtel has also offered a complimentary upgrade to 4G services at 3G price rates. Customers in Delhi will be experiencing faster speeds and wider network coverage because the system is integrated with FD and TD 4G network.

In an attempt to get more customers on board to experience the new superfast connection, Airtel has also announced partnerships with Samsung and Flipkart.

Airtel 4G services will allow users to enjoy HD video streaming effortlessly with almost zero buffering time. The company maintains that one can download ten movies in less than 30 minutes, upload albums in less than 5 minutes and connect multiple devices without any limitation.

To avail the complimentary 4G upgrade – existing Airtel customers with 4G ready mobile devices can walk into their nearest Airtel Store and switch to a 4G SIM.

June 19, 2015
All Major Indian Telecom Players Slash Down Roaming Rates by Up to 75%

After Vodafone slashed down their roaming rates, leading telecom operators followed suit, including Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance Communication. All of the operators lowered their roaming rates up to 75% after TRAI cut off the maximum ceiling tariff. Roaming call rates will be cheaper by 40% and SMS by 75%. The above is effective immediately.

For Airtel, incoming rates have been reduced by 40% and outgoing inter-circle calls will be lowered by 23%. Outgoing local call rates will be decreased by 20%, and it reduced local SMS rate by 75%. Outgoing inter-circle SMS rate has been cut by up to 74%.

As for Idea Cellular and Reliance, similarly, these two companies have slashed their roaming call rates by 40%. Idea will now charge incoming calls at 45paise/minute and outgoing is reduced by 20%. Local SMS on Idea will cost 25% lesser, and STD will be charged 38 paise while on roaming.

In the words of Morgan Stanley, American multinational financial service:

Reduction in national roaming ceiling tariff would imply a 2% revenue impact and 4% Ebitda (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) impact for operators, which could be partly offset by an increase in roaming minutes and any positive differential gains.

Earlier this month, TRAI had cut the maximum rate for STD calls on roaming to Rs 1.15 from Rs 1.50. To read about Vodafone’s new tariff plans, click here.

May 1, 2015
Airtel Finally Speaks Up About Net Neutrality

In the past few weeks, Airtel has managed to unite the online world against it. It did so, by launching the infamous Airtel Zero plan, which is a clear violation of net neutrality. Earlier today, Flipkart, paying heed to the online negativity gathered, announced that it had made the wise decision of backing out of the Airtel Zero plan.

Read what Airtel has to say below:

Airtel fully supports the concept of Net Neutrality. There have been some misconceptions about our toll free data platform – Airtel Zero. It is a not a tariff proposition but is an open marketing platform that

1. Allows any application or content provider to offer their service on a toll free basis to their customers who are on our network.

2. Such customers whether on a data pack or not will therefore be able to access these toll free services free of charge.

3. No site whether on the toll free platform or not under any circumstances is blocked, throttled or provided any form of preferential access.

4. The toll free platform is open to all content providers on a completely non discriminatory basis and operates on the same principle as 1-800 toll free voice services.

The statement made by Flipkart regarding their decision not to offer toll free data service to their customers is consistent with our stand that Airtel Zero is not a tariff proposition. It is merely an open platform for content providers to provide toll free data services. The platform remains open to all companies who want to offer these toll free data services to their customers on a completely non discriminatory basis.

April 14, 2015
With the Launch of Airtel Zero, Airtel Violates Net Neutrality Yet Again

A few months back, Airtel was on the receiving end of much public backlash following its decision to introduce differential charges for various online services. This was the first direct assault on Net Neutrality principle in India and the telecom major was forced to roll back the new policy. The company has introduced a new service called Airtel Zero which attempts to split services but with a friendlier face.

Airtel Zero is a new platform that will let companies buy data to offer their apps to consumers for free. It will allow users to access these apps without incurring data charges. This can be seen as a direct violation of net neutrality as it will give priority access to some apps over others.

Net neutrality principle states that all data on the internet should reach their destination with equal speeds and service providers cannot charge extra for priority access. Airtel will rope in extra revenues through Airtel Zero and companies with enough capital would be able to pay for this access while the budding apps will be left back to fend for themselves.

E-commerce giant Flipkart is also receiving criticism for signing up for the service that violates net neutrality. Airtel has reportedly called the new service a “B2B platform that is open non-discriminatory and will be a win-win for customers and businesses.” They added that they intended to include as many vendors as possible. But they haven’t made public the agreement or the fees paid by the vendors to reach the consumers. This raises the question whether the platform will be inclusive of new apps or will give priority access to just a few apps.

In the light of recent worldwide demand for tougher net neutrality laws, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India(TRAI) has brought forward a consultancy paper in the public domain. It has asked stakeholders that include the general public to share their views on net neutrality.

It is Airtel’s second attempt at undermining net neutrality, and it can be potentially dangerous for the growth of the information based economy that demands a free and fair internet. So if you want to get your voices heard at TRAI and want the Indian government to keep the internet open for all, you should send in your comments at [email protected]. You can find more information on the net neutrality consultation paper on TRAI’s website.

April 6, 2015
Airtel Collaborates With Xiaomi to Sell Redmi Note 4G Offline

In a bid to attract more customers to its super fast fourth-generation mobile services, Airtel India has collaborated with Chinese handset maker Xiaomi, to provide 4G device Redmi Note at a price of Rs 9,999 in six cities of India.

The Airtel-Xiaomi collaboration will let users buy Redmi Note 4G handsets from 133 Airtel stores across six cities including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, and Kolkata. Users will be able to book the handset from Airtel’s dedicated Mi page and select their preferred Airtel store in the aforementioned cities where they wish to pick up the device. While the booking process has already started yesterday, the sales will commence today.

Similar to Xiaomi Tuesdays flash sales, where the company puts up a flash sale via online retailer Flipkart, Airtel plans to organize a ‘Mi day’ each week at select stores to allow customers to buy the device without having to book it online.

Airtel postpaid customers having at least 500 MB 3G data pack activated on their connection can easily move to the Redmi Note, however, Airtel prepaid and non-Airtel customers will have to first opt for an Airtel postpaid myPlan when they purchase the Redmi Note 4G.

Airtel postpaid users in Bengaluru, where Airtel already has a 4G network, can get up to 10GB free 4G data by logging on to company’s Airtel Live website via their Redmi Note 4G smartphones. In cities where there’s no Airtel 4G network, customers will be automatically upgraded to 4G whenever it is rolled out there.

Following are the tariff plan details on Airtel’s 4G services:

January 2, 2015
Airtel Drops Price Hike on VoIP Packs; Set to Resume Old Rates

Seems like the outcry of millions of Airtel subscribers in India has reached the ears of top officials handling Bharti Airtel. Airtel has dropped the idea of price hike for internet voice calls through apps such as Skype and Viber. In a statement released by Airtel today, the firm clarified that it is taking back the implemented rates on VoIP, keeping in view of the fact that TRAI has already started considering the issue.

The official statement reads, “In view of the news reports that a consultation paper will be issued shortly by TRAI on issues relating to services offered by OTT (over the top content) players, including VoIP, we have decided not to implement our proposed launch of VoIP packs.”

The operator added that it is hoping for an unbiased outcome which will profit both the stakeholders and the Indians, “We have no doubt that as a result of the consultation process a balanced outcome would emerge that would not only protect the interests of all stakeholders and viability of this important sector but would also encourage much needed investments in spectrum and roll out of data networks to fulfill the objective of digital India.”

The Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in India is free by all operators but Airtel took a different route by quietly implementing new rates a day after Christmas. The new rate left the user’s eyes wide open as it charged Rs. 1.8 – Rs. 3.98/ minute for audio calls, Rs. 22.50/ minute for video calls and a whooping Rs. 135/minute for HD video calls.

December 29, 2014