Bharti Airtel has added three new prepaid recharges to its portfolio for subscribers who only need calling and texting and carry no mobile data. The rollout comes days before October 21, the date by which the telecom regulator has asked Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vi to make such packs available. With this, Airtel has become the first operator to act on the new rules. The packs stem from the Telecom Consumer Protection (Thirteenth Amendment) Regulations, 2026, which TRAI notified on September 22.
Validity differs across the three packs. The Rs 185 recharge runs for 28 days, the Rs 203 recharge covers 30 days, and the Rs 206 recharge lasts a full calendar month. The last option allows users to recharge on a fixed date each month. Each pack bundles unlimited local, STD and roaming calls with 300 SMS. Subscribers also receive HelloTunes at no extra cost.
The regulator found that people who rely mostly on calls and texts had limited low-cost options for short recharge cycles. Its action followed complaints that basic calling packs were hard to locate, as recharge platforms pushed pricier data-inclusive bundles.
Operators must now offer calling and SMS-only vouchers that mirror the validity of their data plans lasting 30 days or less. The order applies to Airtel, Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea and BSNL, and these packs must sit under a dedicated tab on recharge platforms.
