Summary:
BSNL has reduced the validity of its ₹99 prepaid plan upto 14 days, making it more expensive on a monthly basis. The plan, designed as a voice-only option mandated by TRAI, now effectively costs users over ₹200 per month just to keep their SIM active.
What Has Changed in BSNL’s ₹99 Plan?
The state-owned telecom operator, BSNL has reduced its validity up to 14 days. This change, which now lives all over India, pushes effective monthly costs to 198, if users recharge twice a month to keep their number active.
BSNL ₹99 Plan – Key Benefits and Daily Cost
Here’s what the plan currently offers:
- Validity: 14 days
- Voice: Unlimited voice calling to any network
- Data: 50MB at full speed (post that, throttled to 40 Kbps)
- SMS: None
- Daily Cost: ₹7.07 (up from ₹6.60 previously)
The plan’s daily cost increase and lower validity mean users now get less value for the same price, making it less affordable over time.
BSNL Rs 99 Plan Changes Over the Years
- In 2023: ₹99 plan came with 18 days validity
- In 2024: Reduced to 17 days
- In 2025 (July): Reduced to 15 days
- In 2025 (November): Reduced to 14 days
TRAI Mandate and Market Comparison
This ₹99 plan follows the instructions of TRAI’s January 2025 directive, which requires telecom operators to offer a basic voice-only scheme to customers.
- BSNL and Vodafone Idea (Vi) offer such sub-of 100 schemes.
- Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel currently have no sub-100 plans with validity.
