Thanks to intense competition, Indian telecom players are looking for ways and means to woo and retain their subscribers. After Reliance Jio introduced long-term prepaid plans, Airtel and Vodafone Idea too announced similar plans. Plans with 84 days validity have been popular with customers as they offer more value as compared to plans those with 28 days validity. In this post, we take a look at the various plans that offer 84 days validity. Best plans with 84 days validity Both <keyword id="4231214" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="jio-and-airtel">Jio and Airtel</keyword> offer three plans with 84 days validity. To help you decide which telco to go with, we will compare the plans from Jio and Airtel. Before we look at the plans, let’s take a look at the additional benefits provided by Jio and Airtel. Additional benefits on Reliance Jio Reliance Jio plans come with complimentary subscription to Jio apps that includes JioTV, Jio Cinema, Jio Music and more. Additional benefits on Airtel Airtel provides the following additional benefits with its plans: <ul><li>Free 4-week course on Shaw Academy with 28 days validity. </li><li>Wynk Music access. </li><li>Airtel Xstream app premium access. </li><li>₹150 cashback on FASTag. </li></ul>Jio plans with 84 days validity <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Plan price </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Data benefit </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Other benefits </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 329 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">6GB data </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited Jio calls, 3,000 non-Jio calls, 1000 SMS </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 555 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1.5GB per day </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited Jio calls, 3,000 non-Jio calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 599 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2GB per day </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited Jio calls, 3,000 non-Jio calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr></tbody></table> Airtel plans with 84 days validity <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Plan price </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Data benefit </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Other benefits </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 379 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">6GB data </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited voice calls, 900 SMS </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 598 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1.5GB per day </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹ 698 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2GB per day </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr></tbody></table> See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/article/jio-vs-airtel-1-5-gb-data-per-day-plans-compared/articleshow/73226670.cms">Jio vs Airtel: Best plans with 1.5GB data per day</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-vowifi-is-now-rolling-out-in-delhi-and-chennai/articleshow/73155307.cms">Reliance Jio now lets you make calls over any Wi-Fi network</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/airtel-launches-voice-over-wi-fi-service-for-better-indoor-voice-call/articleshow/72455306.cms?src=as_rs">Airtel launches Voice over Wi-Fi service for better indoor voice call</a>

Jio vs Airtel: Best plans with 84 days validity

New Delhi, Jun 17 () Telecom major Bharti Airtel on Wednesday said it has acquired 10 per cent stake in Mumbai-based edtech startup, Lattu Media as part of its Airtel Startup Accelerator Program. Lattu Media (Lattu Kids) specialises in digital learning tools for children, and the app focuses on improving English vocabulary, English reading and Maths skills for children under the age of 10 years through animated videos and games. "The investment will enable Airtel to add Edtech to its premium digital content portfolio and give distribution scale to quality learning material from Lattu Kids," a statement said. Airtel already has over 160 million monthly active users across its digital platforms – Airtel Thanks app, Airtel Xstream app and Wynk Music, it added. While the financial details of the deal were not disclosed, Bharti Airtel - in a regulatory filing - said the acquisition of the equity shares of investee company is done at mutually agreed pre-money enterprise valuation. "The said valuation is not material and not disclosed herein due to reasons of confidentiality," the filing added. Lattu Kids is the fourth company to join the Airtel Startup Accelerator Program after Voicezen, Spectacom Global and Vahan. At over 500 million, India has the second largest number of internet users globally, driven by affordable smartphones and the lowest 4G data tariffs globally. The company said this deep penetration of internet has led to wide adoption of online learning tools, and the trend has further accelerated after the COVID-19 pandemic forced closure of schools and adoption of virtual classrooms and digitally enabled learning. It is estimated that in India edtech industry will cross USD 2 billion in size by 2021. "At Airtel, we aspire to support the growth of the startup ecosystem through our digital platforms. And now more than ever, online education is a critical need for millions of young children who do not have access to regular classrooms. "We believe that Lattu Kids can make a positive impact in the space of online education and are excited to have them in our accelerator and partner in their growth," Bharti Airtel Chief Product Officer Adarsh Nair said. Vivek Bhutyani, co-founder and CEO of Lattu Kids, said his company's Vision is to impact learning outcomes for young children in Nursery to Grade 2, and lead this category in India by using digital content, gamification and technology. "With Airtel, we have found an equally passionate partner and our synergies in this space will allow us to scale Lattu to millions of kids in India across classes and make it a much-loved home grown edtech brand," he added. SR DRR DRR

Airtel picks up 10 pc stake in edtech startup Lattu Media

The Indian telecom segment has been at the forefront of stiff competition since the launch of Reliance Jio. The closest amongst those competitors are Airtel and Jio who offer very similar plans to their customers. After Jio introduced <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/reliance-jio-is-not-keen-on-scrapping-iuc-charges-now-that-it-is-charging-consumers/articleshow/71607933.cms">IUC charges</a>, all the companies, including Jio <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-may-still-have-the-cheapest-plan-on-offer-as-airtel-and-vodafone-idea-have-a-lead-on-telecom-tariffs/articleshow/72335722.cms">announced tariff hike</a>s. The 1.5GB data per day plans are very popular among users and the telecom companies have been focusing on these plans. We will compare different plans that offer 1.5GB per day from <keyword id="4231214" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="jio-and-airtel">Jio and Airtel</keyword>. Best 1.5GB per day plans To compare the plans, we have classified them on the basis of validity. Both Jio as well as Airtel have plans that offer validity of 28 days, 56 days, 84 days and 365 days. Before we take a look at the plans, let’s take a look at the additional benefits provided by both the telcos. Additional benefits on Reliance Jio In addition to calls, data and SMS, all Reliance Jio plans come with complimentary subscription to Jio apps that includes JioTV, Jio Cinema, Jio Music and more. Additional benefits on Airtel Airtel provides the following additional benefits with its plans: <ul><li>Free 4-week course on Shaw Academy with 28 days validity.</li><li>Wynk Music access.</li><li>Airtel Xstream app premium access.</li><li>₹150 cashback on FASTag.</li></ul>Jio plans with 1.5GB data per day <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Plan price </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Validity </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Other benefits </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹199 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">28 days </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited Jio calls, 1000 non-Jio calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹399 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">56 days </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited Jio calls, 2000 non-Jio calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹555 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">84 days </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited Jio calls, 3000 non-Jio calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹2,020 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">365 days </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited Jio calls, 12000 non-Jio calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr></tbody></table> Airtel plans with 1.5GB data per day <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Plan price </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Validity </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Other benefits </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹249 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">28 days </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹399 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">56 days </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹555 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">84 days </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹2,398 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">365 days </td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited voice calls, 100 SMS per day </td></tr></tbody></table> See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-vowifi-is-now-rolling-out-in-delhi-and-chennai/articleshow/73155307.cms">Reliance Jio now lets you make calls over any Wi-Fi network</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/airtel-launches-voice-over-wi-fi-service-for-better-indoor-voice-call/articleshow/72455306.cms?src=as_rs">Airtel launches Voice over Wi-Fi service for better indoor voice call</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-airtel-vodafone-idea-5g-trials-terms-and-conditions/articleshow/73063720.cms">Reliance Jio, Airtel and Vodafone have 10 days to submit their bids for 5G trials while a lot remains undecided</a>

Jio vs Airtel: Best plans with 1.5GB data per day

<ul><li>Reliance Jio and Airtel have revised their annual plans to offer more benefits.</li><li>While Airtel and Vodafone Idea have no restriction on off-net calls, Jio offers 12,000 non-Jio minutes.</li><li>In this post, we compare the annual plans from Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea.</li></ul>While most prepaid users opt for the 84 days plan from telcos, there are some users who prefer to do a single recharge for the whole year. If you are looking at long term prepaid plans, Jio and Airtel have announced new annual plans with improved benefits. An earlier <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtel-and-vodafone-ideas-annual-plans-offer-better-value-than-reliance-jio/articleshow/75020825.cms">comparison</a> of annual plans offered by the three telcos had revealed that Airtel and Vodafone Idea’s plans offered more benefits compared to Reliance Jio’s annual plan. However, things have changed now with the new ₹2,399 plan from the telco. Best annual plans from Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Idea <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#4472c4;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Telco </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#4472c4;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Plan </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#4472c4;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Validity </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#4472c4;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Total data </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#4472c4;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Voice calling </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Reliance Jio </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹2,399 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">365 days </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">730GB </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">12,000 non-Jio minutes </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Airtel </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹2,498 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">365 days </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">730GB </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited calling </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Airtel </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹2,398 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">365 days </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">547.5GB </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#d9e1f2;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited calling </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Vodafone Idea </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹2,399 </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">365 days </td><td style="border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">547.5GB </td><td style="border-right:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-bottom:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;border-top:solid #8ea9db 0.5pt;vertical-align:middle;padding:0pt 5.75pt 0pt 5.75pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Unlimited calling </td></tr></tbody></table> Reliance Jio annual plan benefits The ₹2,399 plan from Jio offers 2GB data per day, unlimited Jio to Jio calls, 12,000 non-Jio minutes and complimentary Jio apps subscription with a validity of 365 days. Airtel annual plan benefits Airtel offers two plans with 365 days validity. The first plan is priced at ₹2,498 and offers 2GB data per day and the second plan has been priced at ₹2,398 and offers 1.5GB data per day. Apart from this, the two plans offer complimentary ZEE5 subscription, Wynk Music subscription, Airtel Xstream subscription and 28 days free courses with Shaw Academy. Between the two plans, it is better to go for the ₹2,498 plan as it offers more data. Vodafone Idea annual plan benefits Vodafone Idea has not revised its annual plan yet. It has a ₹2,398 plan that offers 1.5GB data per day, unlimited calls, Vodafone Play subscription and ZEE5 subscription with a validity of 365 days. Verdict If we look at the different plans from the telcos, Reliance Jio’s ₹2,399 plan offers the best value for money. However, if you think that 12,000 non-Jio minutes are not enough for you, you can opt for Airtel’s ₹2,498 plan. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/comparing-3gb-data-per-day-plans-between-reliance-jio-airtel-and-vodafone-idea/articleshow/75040127.cms">Reliance Jio vs Airtel vs Vodafone Idea best 3GB data per day plans</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/if-vodafone-idea-increases-tariff-it-will-help-airtel-and-reliance-jio/articleshow/74964136.cms">A new research report says Vodafone Idea has to increase tariff by 39% to survive – and that will be a bounty for Reliance Jio and Airtel</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/india-is-changing-its-mobile-habits-and-that-can-help-airtel-and-vodafone/articleshow/75152973.cms">India is changing its mobile habits and that can help Airtel and Vodafone</a>

Jio vs Airtel vs Vodafone Idea annual plans compared

<keyword id="6354287" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharti-Airtel">Bharti Airtel</keyword>, India's top telco, will offer <keyword id="1526623" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="free-data">free data</keyword> packaged with <keyword id="6354427" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Apple">Apple</keyword>'s new <keyword id="6354606" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="iPhone">iPhone</keyword>s. "iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus clients can appreciate 10 GB free 4G/3G data for each month for one year with any Airtel Infinity postpaid plan," the Sunil Bharti Mittal-controlled company said in a statement on Friday, when the latest gadgets from Apple went on sale in India. 
 The free data will be in addition to plan benefits, the telco said. Officials said the free data is justified regardless of some Rs 30,000 spread over a year. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus can be purchased at retail shops or Airtel's official site. Clients can appreciate the latest iPhones on Airtel's mobile broadband network with bundles of data and unlimited voice calling with Infinity plans, said Ajai Puri, Director Operations (India and <keyword id="52011" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="South-Asia">South Asia</keyword>). 
 
The Infinity postpaid plans offer unlimited voice calling – local, STD and national roaming – along with packaged 4G/3G data, SMS and free subscription to Wynk music and Wynk movies.

Airtel Plays
Jio, Gives free unlimited voice calling and data services to iPhone 7 and
iPhone 7 plus users

After successful trials, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-Markets-have-just-opened-and-Bharti-Airtel-shares-are-among-the-top-gainers-Know-why/articleshow/48354672.cms">Airtel</a>, one of the prominent telecom service providers in the country has formally launched its high-speed <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Airtel-launches-4G-trial-in-four-cities/articleshow/48202927.cms">4G services in 296 towns across India</a>. 
 
While Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio Infocomm is still gearing up to launch affordable 4G plans for Indian customers, Airtel’s 4G will be available across a range of smart devices including mobile phones, dongles, 4G hotspots and Wi-Fi dongles. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/topic/Airtel">Airtel’</a>s rivals Idea Cellular, Vodafone India and Reliance Communications have also announced launch plans for their respective 4G services - either later this year or early next year. 
 
"With the help of the feedback received from the beta launches, we have now built India's first commercial 4G network that will make high speed mobile broadband a reality. The national roll-out today is another small step in our journey to be the most innovative and customer focused brand," Gopal Vittal, MD &amp; CEO, Bharti Airtel (India &amp; South Asia) said, in a statement. 
 
"We also believe that an open platform is critical to developing an ecosystem that nurtures innovation and enabling our consumers to access a myriad sof possibilities on their mobile phones. Our 4G network is therefore built on an open partner ecosystem model that brings together the best in the industry and introduces the market to these never before experiences," Vittal added. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Bharti-Airtel-allegedly-caught-spying-on-its-3G-users/articleshow/47611646.cms">Airtel also launched a new carrier agnostic mobile app</a> - 'Wynk Movies' - a first of its kind movie mall that will offer a specially curated library of thousands of movies and other popular videos. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Digital-India-Week-Airtel-to-invest-1-6-billion-inIT-infrastructure/articleshow/47899078.cms">The telco is offering 4G services at 3G data prices with packs starting at Rs 25</a>. In addition, with every 4G SIM swap, Airtel is offering six months of unlimited music streaming and downloads on 'Wynk Music' and five free movies per month for six months on the Eros Now channel of 'Wynk Movies'. 
 
In addition, the telco has introduced a new range of 'Infinity Plans' starting Rs 999. These high-end plans offer unlimited voice calls on mobile (first time in India) along with data benefits and access to 'Wynk Movies' and 'Wynk Music', the company said in a press statement. 
 
The service provider is providing home delivery of SIMs and postpaid connections in four hours.

Airtel’s 4G plan now available in 296 Indian towns

In a move that could be seen as countering <keyword id="6354504" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Jio">Reliance Jio</keyword>’s offers, India’s largest telecom operators <keyword id="6354287" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharti-Airtel">Bharti Airtel</keyword> revamped its App to include wide ranging digital offers. <keyword id="15491" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Airtel">Airtel</keyword>’s new and improved <keyword id="2867809" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="MyAirtel">MyAirtel</keyword> app will now include benefits for customers like one-time 50 minutes of free calls within Airtel network and 2GB of cloud storage space for users. 
 "There are two new exciting apps from the Airtel stable - <keyword id="3742720" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="airtel-cloud">Airtel Cloud</keyword> and Airtel Dialer. Airtel Cloud provides 2GB of free cloud storage and back up. Airtel Dialer offers 50 minutes of free Airtel-to-Airtel calling benefits, in addition to its call management feature," Airtel said in a statement. 
 
Airtel Cloud allows users to back up audio, video, photos, documents, contacts, call history, and more. Users will not be charged for data consumed for uploading content to Airtel Cloud during night hours, it said. The free scheduled upload feature is currently only available for prepaid users, but will be made available for postpaid users "very soon", the company said. 
 
Airtel subscribers will also get access to wide range of apps curated by the operator for the new MyAirtel app. Apart from its own apps the telco is getting many other apps in a single interface that includes Ditto TV (with no subscription charges for Airtel users), Hike Messenger app, Wynk Music, Wynk Movies, Juggernaut, and Airtel Money. 
 
The new features are available on both Android and iOS, and users are advised to either update their apps or download the new versions from Google Play and the App Store to access the new MyAirtel features.

Airtel counters Reliance Jio: Gives MyAirtel app a makeover

Call charges by minute, seconds, nano seconds are a thing of the past. Indian telecom operators have taken the tariff war to a whole new level, and now they are looking to offer voice calls for free. India’s largest telecom operator, <keyword id="15491" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Airtel">Airtel</keyword> today announced two new postpaid plans with free unlimited voice calls. These are essentially data plans that will of course come along with bundled 3G/4G data at a slightly higher price. 
 
Airtel’s new ‘Infinity’ plans will include unlimited voice calling including STD, and calls made on national roaming, free 100 SMS per day, 3G/4G data and free subscription to Airtel’s music and movie apps, Wynk Music and Wynk Movies. The 1GB infinity plan will cost consumers Rs. 1199 and 5GB plan is priced at Rs. 1599. Airtel had launched ‘myPlan Infinity’ offers for its 3G/4G postpaid mobile customers last year. 
 Airtel’s move seems to be in anticipation of what <keyword id="2176999" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Relaince-Jio">Relaince Jio</keyword> will do. <keyword id="2003276" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Jio">Jio</keyword> may commercially launch their telecom services on 15th August and it is expected to come with differentiated offers including free voicecalls. A report by Bank of America Merrill Lynch(<keyword id="3545435" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="boml">BoML</keyword>) says that Jio’s differentiated offering likely would be “free voice” when Jio commercially launches its telco services. The report says “In our view, it will be “unlimited VoLTE voice” bundled with its data offering above Rs 300/month.” Yes, that's right Jio too may look at offering free voice calls but at a much lower price. Currently a Jio sim comes clubbed with their smartphones starting from Rs. 3000 and it offers unlimited free data to consumers for three months. Having partnered with <keyword id="10591" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword>, Jio is in the process of getting smartphone makers on board to offer their sim bundled with devices. 
 <keyword id="15492" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vodafone">Vodafone</keyword> too announced free calls but only as a compensation for call drops. Vodafone will give 10-minute talk time to customers for call drops. "Under Vodafone Delights bonanza - free 10-minute talk time (will be given) to all customers whose conversation gets interrupted for any reason, to avail the benefit" <keyword id="6354923" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vodafone-India">Vodafone India</keyword> said in a statement. 
 
With Jio planning on the move and Airtel having moved with the plan, it is expected that other players are likely to drop their voice call charges. BoML says there is going to pressure on voice revenues/tariff hikes but they do not believe VoLTE voice will materially impact industry voice revenues for the next 12-18 months. 
 
Image Sources: Indiatimes

Airtel sparks the most epic tariff war ever, see what Jio is planning

Indian telecom giants <keyword id="15491" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="airtel">Airtel</keyword> and Reliance <keyword id="2003276" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="jio">Jio</keyword> have been at loggerheads even before Jio made its super grand entry into the telecom space in India. The two telcos have fought for the top spot to become the number one telecom operator in the country but now it seems like the two are busy fighting it out to gain the position of ‘the most affordable smartphone’ in India. Airtel today announced yet another partnership with smartphone maker <keyword id="1087300" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Celkon">Celkon</keyword> to offer 4G smartphone at Rs. 1349. Reliance Jio had announced its Jio phone earlier this year at a famously “effectively free” price of Rs. 1499 wherein customers will have to pay for the services only for a fixed period of three years. Competing directly with the Jio phone, under Jio’s “India ka smartphone” campaign, Airtel’s partnership is part of ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative where Airtel plans to collaborate with device manufacturers to bring smartphones at the price of a feature phone. Airtel had earlier introduced an <keyword id="6355645" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="android">Android</keyword> smartphone (<keyword id="145729" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Karbonn">Karbonn</keyword> A40) in association with Karbonn. The Android touchscreen smartphone with dual SIM functionality came at an effective price of Rs. 1,399. However Reliance Jio seems to have hit bit of a roadblock with Jio phone according to a report by Factor Daily. The Report suggests that Reliance Jio has stopped the production of its VoLTE feature phone and is now planning to launch an Android smartphone. The JioPhone runs KaiOS and came packed with all of Jio’s own apps including JioChat, JioMusic, JioTV, Jio Cinema and others. The OS does not support many of the widely used apps such as <keyword id="6354576" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword>, WhatsApp and others. But this walled garden approach did not really work for Jio as these apps have been extremely popular with the consumers. Airtel on the other hand is clearly specifying that the Airtel smartphones will “offer full access to all apps on <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> Play Store, including <keyword id="10879" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="YouTube">YouTube</keyword>, Facebook and WhatsApp”, apart from preloaded Airtel apps such as MyAirtel App, Wynk Music and Airtel TV. While both players are ultimately trying to lap up subscribers on their network through their new feature-ish smatphones, they should know that the smartphone market is changing rapidly in India and the consumers are increasingly going for experience more than affordability.

Airtel-Reliance Jio battle heats up yet again but on a whole new battleground

Before <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=reliance+jio&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Reliance Jio</a> gets commercially launched, Bharti <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=airtel&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Airtel</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=vodafone&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Vodafone India</a> and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=idea+cellular&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">Idea Cellular</a> hopping on their content plans. 
 Mukesh Ambani-led <keyword id="6354504" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Jio">Reliance Jio</keyword> has plans to offer <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=digital+content&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">digital content</a> and before it steps into the market, the three Indian telecom carriers are going aggressive on their respective content plans. 
 
Content is one of the main components to drive traffic. 
 Bharti <keyword id="15491" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Airtel">Airtel</keyword> already has many apps for videos and music content. According to brokerage CLSA, <keyword id="15492" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vodafone">Vodafone</keyword> and <keyword id="41511" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="idea">Idea</keyword> Cellular are also launching content offerings. 
 
CLSA stated Vodafone India recently launched Vodafone Play and Idea entered in content with seven applications. 
 
An Idea Cellular spokeswoman told ET the company is working continuously to introduce its own apps and had inked partnerships with various service providers. "The technologies are getting integrated and the rollouts can be expected in FY17," she said told ET. 
 
Meanwhile, Vodafone India has set up a new vertical to generate accessible content for data customers. 
 
A Bharti Airtel spokesman told ET Wynk is a carrier agnostic platform that is available to all mobile operators. "We support development of a vibrant and open content/app ecosystem that acts as a catalyst for mobile data adoption and will accordingly evaluate opportunities and platforms," said the company spokesman in a written response to ET's queries. 
 
Analysts at IDFC expect online video content will be a key <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=data+consumption&amp;sortorder=effectivedate">data consumption</a> driver, and believe Indian content owners with a goldmine of library content, especially broadcasters, will immensely benefit from this new monetisation stream. 
 
"If wireless data prices turn attractive, on-the-go video consumption will increase, although the TV screen would continue to be the first screen for video consumption at home," the brokerage said. 
 
(Image: Thinkstock)

Jio alert makes Airtel, Vodafone and Idea go aggressive on their content plans

To compete with rivals <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> and <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>, the country’s largest online marketplace, Snapdeal has roped in <keyword id="6354287" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Bharti-Airtel">Bharti Airtel</keyword> senior executive <keyword id="1973987" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Anand-Chandrasekaran">Anand Chandrasekaran</keyword> as its new chief product officer, according to an Economic Times report. Snapdeal, run by <keyword id="2848551" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Jasper-Infotech-Pvt">Jasper Infotech Pvt</keyword>. Ltd, is relying on him to create a products and services ecosystem similar to that of Chinese eCommerce giant <keyword id="163405" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Alibaba-Group">Alibaba Group</keyword>. It also wants to diversify and build capabilities in another fast-growing Internet commerce segment — digital bill and utilities payments. Chandrasekaran, 36, has 15 years of work experience in companies like online technology firm <keyword id="6363100" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Yahoo">Yahoo</keyword>, software innovator Openwave and mobile service management firm Aeroprise Inc. As a chief product officer at Bharti Airtel, he led product strategy for music streaming service Wynk and Airtel Money. The <keyword id="101399" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Stanford-University">Stanford University</keyword> alum also played a key role in the launch of the highly criticised Airtel Zero, which <keyword id="6391709" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Net-neutrality">Net Neutrality</keyword> supporters said violated the concept of a free Internet. Chandrasekaran's appointment at Snapdeal comes three months after Flipkart onboarded former <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> executive <keyword id="278552" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Punit-Soni">Punit Soni</keyword> to fulfill a similar role. His is the latest in a series of leadership level hires at the company in the past 12 months, a period that also saw the departure of two senior executives — chief financial officer Aakash Moondhra and chief technology officer <keyword id="2049459" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Amitabh-Misra">Amitabh Misra</keyword>. 

	Chandrasekaran's new role is expected to be more wide-ranging than that of Soni, given that Flipkart continues to remain focused on the eCommerce products space. 
 

	Snapdeal, following a series of buyouts, the latest being its $450 million (Rs 2,870 crore) acquisition of mobile recharge platform Freecharge, has begun offering services including mobile recharge, online bill payment facilities and home and personal loans as it looks to grab a larger slice of the country's consumer market estimated to be worth $1.4 trillion. 
 

	"I look forward to working towards building a highly scalable, sustainable, innovative and future ready technology platform," Chandrasekaran said in a statement on Wednesday. 
 Snapdeal expects its new bets to start paying off from this fiscal year itself. Chief executive <keyword id="219793" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kunal-Bahl">Kunal Bahl</keyword> recently indicated that he expected Freecharge to contribute about $1 billion to Snapdeal's overall gross merchandise sales by March next year. 

	Snapdeal's current sales are estimated to be about $3.5 billion. 
	 
	(Image: Indiatimes)

Meet the new product chief of Snapdeal, Anand Chandrasekaran

<keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> is consistently being bandied as the next major growth market for all smartphone companies, but there is one company that’s really struggling to crack India. The company in question is the most valuable one in the world -- <keyword id="6354427" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="apple">Apple</keyword>. According to CounterPoint’s latest report, Apple’s market share has dropped to an all-time low in India, with its share of the smartphone market dropping to below 2%. The problem is a combination of the nature of the Indian smartphone consumer, Indian laws and Apple’s stubbornness. This quarter Xiaomi and Samsung have emerged as the defacto leaders with their combined market share in India pushing 30%. Samsung managed to regain its lead in India with a share of 29%, up from 24% in the previous quarter, as per a report by Canalys. Xiaomi also grew to 28% market share in the country. While Tim Cook has reiterated often that India is a key market for the Cupertino-based giant, Apple has hit a new low in India, which is clearly the most important smartphone market outside of China. Pricing doesn’t allow Apple to compete for market share in India The problem for the company is that India is primarily a sub Rs 15,000 market, while the cheapest <keyword id="6354606" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="iPhone">iPhone</keyword> – the iPhone SE costs Rs 26,000, and runs three-year-old hardware. Apple doesn’t make cheap products because it doesn’t want to be perceived as a mass market smartphone brand. The Indian market is wildly different from the one in the United States, Europe and even China, which is Apple’s favourite market off-late. These markets are dominated by the operators and their contracts, where users can get the latest and greatest iPhone for about the same Rs 15,000 amount, put in as down payment. The space for phones that cost more than Rs 30,000 is just 4% of the Indian smartphone market. And that is commanded by OnePlus, followed by Samsung. Even if Apple were to get 100% market share in the premium space, it would still only command 4% of the market. Even when competing on price, older iPhones like the 6S and 7 lose out to newer phones from companies like OnePlus on both marketing and also technical capability. Indians tend to buy phones on the basis of specifications and even some of the newer models lose out to brands like OnePlus in the premium segment as the iPhone 6S and 7 models are perceived to be inferior. Hardware disadvantage Apple’s hardware disadvantage swells up when one talks about the cheapest iPhone models in this country. Apple simply doesn’t have a product in that price bracket, the sub-Rs 20,000 zone, and that’s the price point where the market for new smartphones is exploding. While the cheapest iPhone, the SE, costs Rs 26,000, it’s not the best selling iPhone here. It is the iPhone 6, which first popped up in 2014...and here we are in 2018. There are two reasons for this -- first, the iPhone 6 has a bigger screen (4.7-inch) which is more to the liking of Indian users; and second, design-wise, it’s not too dissimilar from the iPhone 8 which came out at the fag end of 2017. With the entry of Reliance Jio in India in late 2016, Indians have developed a voracious appetite for consuming video on the go. The iPhone SE, which uses the design of the iPhone 5 and 5S, has a rather small 4-inch screen. Newer phones like the Redmi Note 5 have much larger 5.99-inch screens. That’s a difference of 2-inches and considering mobile video, it's a huge one. The iPhone SE and iPhone 6, which are the two cheapest iPhones in India also have dated cameras. Nowadays, phones like the Honor 9 Lite and Redmi Note 5 Pro also offer dual cameras with an iPhone X-like bokeh mode -- something these older, cheaper iPhones can’t hope to match. Network conditions in India are often quite poor, connectivity wise, which results in smartphones consuming more battery. Apple’s iPhones have never been known for battery life. The most affordable iPhone in India (iPhone SE) has a meagre 1,624mAh battery, while phones half its price are pushing battery packs that are more than double the size. iPhones also don’t offer hardware features that are popular in emerging markets like ours. For instance, there is no support for dual SIM cards, and there is no support for expandable memory. With newer models like the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone X, there isn’t even a headphone jack -- something competitors like Samsung and OnePlus are providing to customers in the premium segment. Apple hasn’t been able to push its design as a premium advantage either, as Chinese smartphone manufacturers have aped iPhone-like designs on almost all their phones. In fact, the design of the iPhone X has been democratised by Chinese smartphone makers. For instance, the iPhone X-style notch display can be found even on new phones like the Honor 9N that starts at just Rs 13,999 while offering dual cameras on not only the back but also for selfies, and also providing a battery that’s almost twice as big as the iPhone SE. Even their software is designed in a way that Android looks more like iOS. Android modifications from vendors like <keyword id="6357456" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="huawei">Huawei</keyword>, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo follow the same basic iOS-like design language. Software disadvantage It’s bad enough that many Android smartphone makers have designed their software to mimic the look and feel of iOS, but Apple’s problems are compounded by the fact that its own services perform poorly in India or are non-existent. Apple Maps is perhaps the biggest no-show. It doesn’t do turn-by-turn navigation in India and its mapping coverage is abysmal in the country. It is a matter of fact that Apple Maps can’t be used in India as a reliable tool for commuting. Apple Pay isn’t available in India at a time where digital payments are taking off in the country. Paytm and Google’s Tez payments systems are taking off in India massively. Samsung launched Samsung Pay in India last year. Apple Pay is dependent on NFC, while Samsung Pay uses a combination of NFC and magnetic secure transaction (MST), which mimics the magnetic signal a credit or debit card makes to a POS machine. Siri, on most days doesn’t understand the Indian accent as well as the Google Assistant, and nor can it do much. Heck, <keyword id="10387" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>’s Cortana and Amazon’s Alexa do a better job and this is despite the fact that Apple was the first company to deploy a virtual assistant. While Apple’s services hobble on its own trophy -- the iPhone -- its competitors -- Google, Amazon and Microsoft have their services performing better on iOS. For mapping, most people use Google Maps. For search, Google Search becomes the default, and for productivity, Microsoft’s Office crushes Apple’s iWork apps. Rarely, you’re using Apple software on the iPhone in India. Even Apple Music, which is one of the rare examples of an Apple service doing well in the country, has been flanked by local competition like Ganna.com, Jio music, Wynk and Saavn. All of whom have a free tier. On older iPhones, Apple’s iOS updates have also crippled the experience of the iPhone. A couple of years ago, there used to be a strong argument in favour of the iPhone as it would perform well for over two years. Apple’s recent updates have made older iPhones inferior in comparison to newer Android phones that cost the same. Apple is addressing this issue in this year's iOS 12 update, which makes huge performance improvements to older iPhones, but it could be too little too late. The app store also doesn't make life easy for users as it demands a credit card for a user to even download free apps. That's not the case on the Google Play store. Apple has been late in localising services for India The larger issue here is that Apple isn’t localising its services for India in the way it has attempted to for China. This is indicative of the fact that Apple hasn’t taken the time or put enough resources behind localising its services for this country. Samsung and Huawei have R&amp;D centres in India customising services for the market. Xiaomi also prioritises and customises products for India. Apple opened an App Accelerator in Bangalore and a facility for Apple Maps in Hyderabad only in 2016. Google has had software and services being developed out of India since the mid-2000s, while Microsoft has been in India since the early 90’s. This has, in turn, inhibited Apple’s ability to quickly pivot. Its biggest competitor, Google, on a platform level, makes products for India. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said last year, “India shapes how we build products. If something works in India it will work globally.” And this philosophy can be seen in the customisations that Google has made to core services like Android, Maps, YouTube, Search and even payments. Its next billion division has made “Go” editions of Android, YouTube, Search and Maps, which are designed to work better on low power phones and poorer network conditions. They have even invested in KaiOS that powers feature phones like the Jio Phone creating its own versions of YouTube, Google Search and Assistant in India. For Apple to replicate its China success in India, it has to do a lot more than what it did in China. Even in China, Apple’s momentum has slowed so it has a steep slope to climb there as well. In China, Google and Amazon are almost non-existent. In India, they are big players. Apple isn’t able to compete with Google with regards to services. Most people use Google services which are part of all Android phones and one doesn’t need to buy a comparatively expensive iPhone to enjoy them. Apple and the Indian government: Frenemies? Apple hasn’t seen eye to eye with the Indian government for long. Apple expected concessions for manufacturing in India. It never made headway with that. While it lobbied for tax concessions -- brands like Xiaomi, Oppo and Huawei all got on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ programme which grants locally assembled phones some tax concessions. Only recently, Apple has started manufacturing both the iPhone SE and iPhone 6S in India. There are some reports that Apple has locked in a deal with one of its ODM vendors to manufacture even the iPhone X, but that’s not happening right now. The price variance between the iPhone X and the new Samsung Galaxy S9+ is quite startling. The iPhone X tops out at a whopping Rs 1,07,999 while the latest Galaxy S9+ tops out at Rs 69,000 for its top-end model in India. That’s almost a gap of Rs 40,000 which ironically is the cost of the 128GB model of the OnePlus 6 which is currently the best selling smartphone in the premium segment in this country. In the US, the iPhone X costs $1,149 which is around Rs 79,000 and the Galaxy S9+ costs $792 (around Rs 55,000). This points towards the fact that India is the most expensive place to purchase an iPhone and also the fact that Samsung’s phones have a huge price advantage in India that they don’t enjoy even in the US. And a lot of this is due to the fact that the S9+ is assembled in Samsung’s factory in Greater Noida (a satellite town outside New Delhi) which also happens to be the largest smartphone manufacturing plant in the world. The iPhone is further hobbled by the fact that it has an international warranty and India has a bubbling <keyword id="395545" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="grey-market">grey market</keyword>. It’s totally possible for someone to buy an imported iPhone for much lesser than the official price in India and still enjoy global warranty on the product. For years, Apple has been hoping to get permissions to set up its iconic Apple Stores in India. Indian law stipulates that single brand retail can only happen when products use 30% raw materials that are locally sourced -- that’s a hard problem to solve for Apple. That’s led to it selling its phones via resellers who often have discounted products to move inventory, thereby diluting Apple’s premium identity. In order to move more affordable iPhones, the Indian government has also rejected Apple’s plan for selling refurbished iPhones in India. More recently, Apple has been deadlocked in a stalemate with Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in India over the installation of its spam reporting app on the iPhone. The telecom regulator has been reported to be taking extreme steps which could result in the iPhone being blocked from telecom networks in India if Apple doesn’t play ball, but that seems to be changing. An update in iOS 12 could possibly pave the way for an extension in the iMessage app for the TRAI to push out its spam reporting feature. The big takeaway is that Apple’s brand positioning makes its life hard enough in a market where feature phone sales are still growing, however, it hasn’t helped its own cause by not investing in India in a timely manner and also not adopting and partaking quickly enough in initiatives of the Indian government which has put it at a disadvantage with regards to lobbying.

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