BSNL Keeps Annual Plan at Rs 2,399 While Rivals Stay at Rs 3,999

BSNL confirmed in March 2026 that its Rs 2,399 365-day prepaid plan will remain at the same price for the rest of the year. The decision keeps BSNL Rs 1,600 cheaper than the Airtel and Jio annual plans, both priced at Rs 3,999, and Rs 1,400 cheaper than Vi's annual plan at Rs 3,799.

The BSNL Rs 2,399 plan offers 2 GB of high-speed 4G data per day for 365 days, unlimited voice calls across India, and 100 SMS per day. It does not include any OTT subscriptions and does not offer 5G — BSNL has not launched a commercial 5G service as of June 2026.

At Rs 6.57 per day, the BSNL plan is the lowest cost-per-day prepaid option from any operator. By comparison, Airtel Rs 3,999 and Jio Rs 3,999 work out to Rs 10.96 per day, and Vi Rs 3,799 is Rs 10.41 per day.

Existing BSNL users on an active Rs 2,399 recharge get the full 365 days at the rate they paid. New users can recharge online via the BSNL portal or use *123# from a BSNL SIM to activate.

Who should pick BSNL Rs 2,399? Anyone who needs reliable voice and 2 GB per day of 4G in rural or semi-urban India and does not care about 5G or OTT extras. BSNL has the widest reach in tier-2 and tier-3 towns and is often the only option in remote pockets. Note that BSNL is not available in Mumbai and Delhi metro circles, where the equivalent service is offered by MTNL.

For users who do want 5G and OTT, the Rs 1,600 savings on BSNL may not compensate for losing 18 months of Gemini Pro AI (on Jio Rs 3,999), Wynk Music (on Airtel Rs 3,999), or JioHotstar for 1 year (on both). Pick BSNL for value, pick Airtel or Jio for benefits.