Airtel introduces free annual international roaming with new postpaid plans

Bharti Airtel on Wednesday announced a new range of postpaid plans offering customers one complimentary international roaming trip every year, as telecom operators increasingly bundle overseas connectivity with premium mobile offerings.

Bharti Airtel on Wednesday announced a new range of postpaid plans offering customers one complimentary international roaming trip every year, as telecom operators increasingly bundle overseas connectivity with premium mobile offerings. Effective October 8, the new Airtel postpaid plans will offer one free international roaming trip per SIM every year, along with unlimited data and calling, Fast Lane technology and network-level protection against spam and fraudulent links, the company said in a press release.

The complimentary roaming pack will provide 5GB of data, 60 minutes of calls, 25 outgoing SMS and free incoming SMS, with a validity of five days. Customers will be able to activate the pack at a time of their choice during their international trip. For family postpaid plans, the roaming benefit will be available separately for every SIM included in the plan, allowing each family member to avail one free international roaming trip annually, Airtel said.

The new plans start at Rs 499 for an individual connection, while family plans are priced at Rs 749 for two SIMs, Rs 1,049 for three SIMs, Rs 1,249 and Rs 1,449 for four SIMs, and Rs 1,799 for five SIMs. The plans also bundle entertainment and cloud-storage subscriptions depending on the rental, including Amazon Prime, JioHotstar, Xstream Play Premium, Google One, Apple Music, Apple iCloud+ and Netflix.

Commenting on the launch, Amit Tripathi, Director – Market Operations, Bharti Airtel, said the company was focused on strengthening its postpaid proposition through network experience, safety features, entertainment and international roaming benefits. “Postpaid for us is about delivering the best-in class experience in the Indian market. We have the best network experience in the country, on which we offer our postpaid customers Fast Lane technology on 5G, and constant Spam and frauds protection," Tripathi said.

The move comes shortly after Vodafone Idea (Vi) introduced free international roaming on select prepaid, postpaid and enterprise plans. Vi's offering covers more than 170 countries, with eligible customers able to avail roaming benefits for up to three international trips a year. Reliance Jio, meanwhile, continues to offer international roaming through separate packs and PayGo options for postpaid customers. Its current offerings include annual and country-specific roaming packs, but the company has not announced a comparable new free annual roaming benefit in the recent period.

Existing Airtel prepaid and postpaid customers can upgrade to the new plans through the Airtel App or by visiting an Airtel store, while customers of other operators can switch to Airtel Postpaid through the app or stores. As of 1329 IST during Wednesday's trading session, shares of Bharti Airtel traded nearly 2 per cent higher at Rs 1,843.80 on the National Stock Exchange. (ANI)