MTNL, Idea, Reliance joins Airtel and Hutch in lifetime validity offerings

Tata Indicom started it with an offer of 2-year long validity without requiring any topups for the prepaid connection. Airtel did a lot better by offering lifetime validity on their prepaid connections on topping up with Rs. 999. Hutch added a similar offer to their range of products. Now a total of five mobile operators have joined the bandwagon with similar schemes.

2005 has become one of the greatest years for prepaid mobile consumers as a result. No longer are you required to pay a premium for not taking up a postpaid connection and topups are all full value from now on. Idea have announced the ‘Idea life-long pre-paid’ package and MTNL joined it with a package called ‘Idea life-long pre-paid’. These two packages are worth ‘Idea life-long pre-paid’

Reliance Infocomm is also in the hunt with an offer of lifetime validity prepaid voucher of Rs 995, with flexible tariff rates. As a result, even if your balance is zero, you can use your mobile connection for incoming calls for life! This makes fixed line phones sound oh-so-useless! Players like Hutch and Idea are offering topups cards for as little as Rs. 10 denomination.

COAI director General TV Ramachandran said in a statement: “The new schemes will bring down the Arpu (average revenue per user) further down. But it will address a new segment which depends on more incoming than outgoing calls. It’s a welcome step.” This would benefit a whole range of consumers from marketing guys to older people whose requirement is primarily to receive calls on their mobile phones.

However, TRAI has a catch for counting these lifetime incoming free mobile consumers. As per their guidelines, an operator will not be able to count the customer as a subscriber if he fails to recharge within six months.