BSNL vs Jio: Comparing Prepaid Postpaid Plans & Speed
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is India’s biggest public sector undertaking (PSU) telecom service provider, and Jio is India’s biggest private access telecom provider. Both the telecom companies are popular amidst the 1.3 billion Indian population. However, there is a significant difference in BSNL’s and Jio’s market share.
According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recent reports concerning wireless subscriptions, Jio held a significant 35.30% market share on the one hand, while BSNL held 10.21%.
Despite this vast market share gap, BSNL beats Jio in the context of its voice quality over calls, according to March 2021 My Call Dashboard of TRAI.
The below comparison guide of BSNL vs Jio covers different aspects that users look for before choosing the best plan for themselves – be it BSNL vs Jio prepaid/postpaid plans, BSNL vs Jio speed comparison, BSNL vs Jio business solutions, or BSNL vs Jio customer care services.
Jio vs BSNL Prepaid Plans, Offers, Price, Data, and Validity
Jio’s prepaid plans range between Rs. 10 and Rs 5751, while BSNL’s range between Rs. 3 and Rs. 6000.
The below tables capture popular prepaid Jio, and BSNL plans to help you pick the best one to meet your requirements.
| Jio Prepaid Recharge Plan | Data Benefit | Validity | Jio to Jio calls | Jio-to non-Jio calls | SMS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rs. 98 | 2GB | 28 Days | Unlimited | IUC 6 paise/min | 300 |
| Rs. 129 | 2GB | 28 Days | Unlimited | 1000 min | 300 |
| Rs. 149 | 1GB per day | 24 Days | Unlimited | 300 min | 100/Day |
| Rs. 199 | 1.5GB per day | 28 Days | Unlimited | 1000 min | 100/Day |
| Rs. 249 | 2GB per day | 28 Days | Unlimited | 1000 min | 100/Day |
| Rs. 329 | 6GB | 84 Days | Unlimited | 3000 min | 100/Day |
| Rs. 349 | 3GB per day | 28 Days | Unlimited | 1000 min | 100/Day |
| Rs. 399 | 1.5Gb per day | 56 Days | Unlimited | 2000 min | 100/Day |
| Rs. 444 | 2GB per day | 56 Days | Unlimited | 2000 min | 100/Day |
| Rs. 555 | 1.5GB per day | 84 Days | Unlimited | 3000 min | 100/Day |
| Rs. 599 | 2GB per day | 84 Days | Unlimited | 3000 min | 100/Day |
| Rs. 1299 | 24GB | 336 Days | Unlimited | 12,000 min | 100/Day |
| Rs. 2121 | 1.5GB per day | 336 Days | Unlimited | 12,000 min | 100/Day |
| Rs. 4999 | 350GB | 360 Days | Unlimited | 12,000 min | 100/Day |
All the below BSNL prepaid plans are available in all the Indian telecom circles:
| BSNL Recharge Plan | Tariff | Free Usage | Freebies Validity | Plan Validity in Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per Second 108 (only for new customers) | Rs. 108 | Unlimited calls to any network + 1GB/day + 500 SMS | 28 days | 28 |
| 153 Plan | Rs. 153 | Unlimited calls +1GB/day + 100 SMS/day + Free PRBT | 28 days | 28 |
| 197 Plan | Rs. 197 | Truly Unlimited Local/STD/roaming calls incl. Mumbai and Delhi + Unlimited Data speed reduced to 80kbps after 2GB/day + 100 SMS/day + Zing(18days) | 18 days | 180 |
| 199 Plan | Rs. 199 | Unlimited Free Calls + 2GB/day + 100 SMS/day | 30 days | 30 |
| 397 Plan | Rs. 397 | Unlimited calls + 2GB/day + 100 SMS/day +Free PRBT + Lodhun Contest | 60days | 365 |
| PV 399 | Rs. 399 | Free calls + 100 SMS/day + 1+1GB/day + Free BSNL tunes + Lokdhun content | 80 | 80 |
| 485 Plan | Rs. 485 | Free Calls + 1.5GB/day + 100 SMS/day | 90 days | 90 |
| Sixer | Rs. 666 | Free calls + 1.5GB/day + 100 free SMS for 134 days | 120days | 120 |
| Plan 699 | 699 | Free Voice calls 0.5GB/day 100SMS/day Free Tune for first 60days | 180 days | 180 |
| BSNL 997 | Rs. 997 | Unlimited calls+ 3GB/day +100 SMS/day + Lokdhun Content + Sony Liv + Free Caller Tune | 180 days | 180 |
| BSNL BINDAS BOL | Rs. 1499 | Free calls + 100SMS /day 24GB data | 365days | 365days |
| BSNL 1999 (BSNL One Year Plan) | Rs. 1999 | Unlimited calls + 2GB/day FUP + 100 SMS/day + Free Caller Tune for 365 days and Lokdhun Contest for 60days | 365 | 365 |
| BSNL 2399 | Rs. 2399 | Unlimited Voice calls every day + 100SMS per day + 3GB/day + Free Tune + EROS Now | 365 | 365 |
BSNL vs Jio Postpaid Plans
BSNL announced the discontinuation of its Rs. 99, Rs. 225, Rs. 325, Rs. 799, and Rs. 1125 postpaid plans, starting December 1, 2020, and introduced three (3) new postpaid plans (Rs. 199, Rs. 798, and Rs. 999) after that. All three (3) plans come with data roll rollover making them exciting deals.
| Plan | Data | Voice calling | SMS | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rs. 199 | 25 GB (with a rollover of up to 75 GB of data to the next month) | Unlimited on-net voice calling, 300 minutes of off-net calling capped to 250 minutes a day | 100 SMS a day | 30 days |
| Rs. 798 | 50 GB (with a rollover up to 150 GB of data to the next month) | Unlimited voice calling for both local and STD calls capped to 250 minutes a day | 100 SMS a day | 30 days |
| Additionally Rs. 798 postpaid plan allows for two additional family add-ons. The add-on connections are entitled to the same benefits as the primary user. | ||||
| Rs. 999 | 75 GB (with a rollover of up to 225 GB of data to the next month) | Unlimited voice calling for both local and STD calls capped to 250 minutes a day | 100 SMS a day | 30 days |
| Additionally Rs. 999 plan allows for three additional family add-ons. | ||||
Back in 2018, Jio launched its postpaid services in India with a single plan of Rs 199. In 2020, the company announced the Jio Postpaid Plus plan, a premium postpaid plan offering many benefits to Jio users.
The telco announced the Jio Postpaid Plus plans in India starting from Rs. 399. A total of five (5) postpaid plans have been launched Jio Postpaid Plus plans. All packages offer unlimited voice and video calls, complimentary OTT apps subscriptions, data rollover up to 500GB, and cheap international calls. The below table has all the information you need to know about the Jio Postpaid Plus plans.
| Name of the plan | Monthly Tariff | Benefits | Freebies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reliance Jio Postpaid Plus Rs. 399 | Rs. 399 | 75GB data, unlimited voice calling, unlimited SMS, 200GB data rollover, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ Hotstar subscription | NA |
| Reliance Jio Postpaid Plus Rs. 599 | Rs. 599 | 100GB data, unlimited voice calling, unlimited SMS, 200GB data rollover, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ Hotstar subscription | One additional SIM with Family Plan |
| Reliance Jio Postpaid Plus Rs. 799 | Rs. 799 | 150GB data, unlimited voice calling, unlimited SMS, 200GB data rollover, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ Hotstar subscription | Two additional SIM with Family Plan |
| Reliance Jio Postpaid Plus Rs. 999 | Rs. 999 | 200GB data, unlimited voice calling, unlimited SMS, 500GB data rollover, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ Hotstar subscription | Three additional SIM with Family Plan |
| Reliance Jio Postpaid Plus Rs. 1 499 | Rs. 1499 | 200GB data, unlimited voice calling, unlimited SMS, unlimited data and voice in the USA and UAE, 500GB data rollover, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ Hotstar subscription | NA |
BSNL vs Jio 4G: Speed Comparison
Unlike Jio, BSNL does not have 4G services yet. There have been talks around closing tenders for the new BSNL 4G services. However, in the recent past, BSNL has led the pack in the 3G network with an average download speed of 2.5 Mbps beating private telecom giants like Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone.
Reliance’s Jio, on the other hand, leads massively in the 4G space. It recorded a download speed of 15.4 Mbps in February 2021.
BSNL vs Jio Business Solutions
BSNL’s business solutions include special services, enterprise broadband (Wifi services), IDC services (hosting and IT services), Managed Services, WebCare service, Data services (Leased circuit, Cloudway with Microsoft, VPN services), and others (global satellite phone service, fleet tracking, web colocation).
Reliance launched Jio Busines early this year to provide corporate digital solutions to fifty (50) million micro, small and medium businesses (MSMBs) that form the bedrock of the Indian economy.
Seven (7) corporate postpaid plans with monthly rentals ranging from Rs. 901 to Rs. 10,001 and broadband speed in the range of 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps have been announced after that:
| Jio Corporate Plans | 901 Plan | 10001 Plan |
|---|---|---|
| MONTHLY PLAN RENTAL | INR 901 | INR 10001 |
| TRULY UNLIMITED CONNECTIVITY: Download + Upload Speed Up to | 100 Mbps | 1 Gbps |
| High-Speed Internet Data/ Speed Post FUP | 3300 GB | 10000 GB / 10 Mbps |
| UNLIMITED VOICE IP Centrex with Free voice anywhere in India | 1 Line | 8 lines |
| Fixed Mobile Convergence helps you never miss a business call | NA | Yes |
| PRODUCTIVITY: Microsoft 365 with Office Apps, Outlook Email, OneDrive storage, and Microsoft Teams | NA | 25 Licenses |
| MARKETING: JioOnlineto take your business online today | NA | Pro |
| CONFERENCING: JioMeet– Up to 24hrs. secure video conferencing | NA | 4 Licenses |
| STATIC IP (1 Public IP) | NA | Yes |
| DEVICES: Digital First Business membership from Reliance Digital | NA | Yes |
BSNL vs Jio Customer Service
BSNL gives basic customer care services by providing toll-free numbers to its users for different telecom circles, along with a ‘Contact Us’ email ID.
Jio, on the other hand, along with toll-free numbers and email ID, also has 24*7 chatbox services for customers who prefer chatting over calling.
Jio customer service is considered more proactive than BSNL’s. Users can rely on Jio’s customer service for prompt response in chat boxes and toll-free numbers.