Airtel 499 Broadband Plan vs. BSNL 499 Fiber: Which One is Better?
The telecom industry is probably the most competitive one in India today. Do you agree? We bet you do! With each passing day, we have private players like Jio, Airtel, Vi, and state-owned players like BSNL coming up with innovative bundles of benefits to lure new customers into their subscriber base.
These telecom companies have business strategies of their own. For example, look at Airtel’s newly launched ‘Airtel Black’ plan that lets its subscribers combine any two or more services under one bill.
On the other hand, Jio’s Rs. 3499 newly added plan is one of the most expensive plans offered by the telecom giant, with a validity of 365 days and 3GB of data a day.
The state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is not left behind in growing its consumer base and competing hard with the private players on the Indian telecom soil.
One of the common business strategies that we have seen across is that the telcos are coming out with more affordable plans to tap into the low-income consumer base.
This income group does not necessarily comprise low-income adults but also school and college-going students who now depend on a reliable internet connection for their education.
Like we have mentioned a hundred times before, COVID-19 has changed behavioral patterns regarding internet consumption. People now demand more benefits and want to pay less for them.
Fiber broadband is becoming affordable across the length and breadth of India. Moreover, users no longer have to apprehend data caps since a majority of the plans offer unlimited data with generous FUP.
Below is a list of the most attractive (and affordable) monthly broadband plans just under Rs. 500:
- Jio’s Rs. 499 broadband plan
- Airtel’s Rs. 499 broadband plan
- BSNL’s Rs. 499 broadband plan
- ACT’s Rs. 500 broadband plan
In this Selectra article, we are going to compare the Rs. 499 broadband plans of Airtel and BSNL in detail.
The whole debate around picking the best fiber broadband plan boils down to how much speed a user desires.
Most of the plans out there offer speeds between 30 Mbps and 50 Mbps. Though some of these also provide high-speed internet with 1 Gbps speed.
499 Broadband Plan Airtel vs. BSNL: Speed and FUP Limit
To start with, let us compare what kinds of internet speeds are offered by the two telcos within the same price range.
Airtel Xstream Fiber’s Rs. 499 plan offers 40 Mbps internet upload and download speeds and around 3300 GB (that is 3.3 TB) of the FUP limit. Its validity lasts for 30 days.
BSNL’s Rs. 499 Fiber broadband offers unlimited internet at 20 Mbps upload and download speed up to 100 GB a month, after which the speed comes down to 2 Mbps. Its validity lasts for one month.
499 Broadband Plan Airtel vs. BSNL: Bundled Benefits
Now that we know what internet speeds to expect from the two plans let us look at other bundled joys offered by the telcos.
Airtel’s Xtream offers various benefits, including free voice calling from anywhere in India, a free subscription to Airtel XStream, Wynk Music, and Shaw academy.
The subscription to the Airtel Xstream app gives access to multiple OTT platforms in India, such as Eros Now, Voot Basic, Hungama Play, Ultra, and Shemaroo M
BSNL’s Rs. 499 Fiber plan offers some basic benefits to its users. These include unlimited voice calling to any network within India. However, complimentary subscriptions to popular OTT platforms do not get covered under this plan.
No subscription to a single OTT platform could make BSNL 499 fiber behind in this comparison race, for today’s customers’ viewing habits have drastically changed. Everyone wants to watch their favorite sitcom or movies on their favorite OTT platform.
BSNL 100 GB CUL Fiber Optic Plan: Full Details
If you would like to see a table covering all the necessary details of the BSNL’s 499 fiber optic plan, here you go:
| Particulars | 100GB CUL Fibre Optic Plan |
|---|---|
| Download / Upload Speed | Unlimited internet (up to 20 Mbps till 100 GB per month, then 2Mbps) |
| Applicable for | All home and business users in all telecom circles except:
|
| Fixed Monthly charges | Rs. 499 |
| Download/Upload limit | Unlimited internet every month with above FUP speed |
| Free Email ID / Space( Per E-mail ID) | One account with 1 GB storage |
| Static IP address(on request) | N/A |
| Security Deposit for Bharat Fiber | One month FMC |
| Minimum hire period | One month |
| Telephone Rent/Free calls | Unlimited voice calling on any other network in India at zero rental charges |
Airtel Rs. 499 Xstream: Full Details
If you would like to see a table covering all the necessary details of Airtel’s 499 Xstream Unlimited plan, here you go:
| Particulars | Airtel Xstream Unlimited |
|---|---|
| Monthly Price | Rs. 499 |
| Upload and Download Speed | 40 Mbps |
| Validity | 30 days |
| FUP Limit | 3300 GB |
| Benefits |
|
| Freebies | Airtel Xstream Hybrid 4K TV Box |
Conclusion
We hope this comparison guide between two of the most exciting 499 broadband plans available to the Indian population is informative and revealing.
We have carefully detailed out the essential elements that will help your choice making easy and quick.
We at Selectra keep our eyes glued to the latest update in the telecommunications industry, be it mobile plans, broadband internet, DTH, or OTT services, and help our visitors absorb information without using heavy technical jargon.
So no more browsing through a hundred websites to get the correct comparison details between Airtel and BSNL’s 499 broadband plan. Instead, Selectra is your one-stop shop for everything you’ll like to know.
Keep following our website for some such content.