Telcos set sail on Reliance Jio's course: Idea offers free calls, 70GB data for Rs 396

Following the low-cost data trends in India, Idea Cellular is offering a new plan giving users 1GB per day along with unlimited calls for a low rental of Rs 396. The new plan is applicable for select users and requires calling the customer service to check for eligibility.

In a counter move to lure subscribers away from Jio's Rs 309 recharge plan, where users get three months of unlimited 4G data and voice calls, Idea is now giving 70GB data for users who recharge with Rs 396 on their prepaid numbers. The plan comes with a few catches and we've laid it out for you.

Idea's Rs 396 recharge pack gives users unlimited calls within the same network, both local and national, along with 3,000 minutes of free calls to non-Idea numbers. There's a limit to the calls made to other networks at 300 minutes per day and 1,200 minutes a week. After exhausting the free minutes, users will be charged 30 paise per minute.

As for the data, 70GB is available in 3G, and not 4G LTE like the Jio offer. There's also a 1GB FUP limit, post which users will be charged for data consumption, BGR India reported. Both data and calls come with a validity of 70 days.

According to NDTV Gadgets, eligible customers must recharge with Rs. 396 by the end of the day after confirming with customer service. In case the recharge fails, you'll need to call the customer care again. There's no way to check the offers online and Idea hasn't promoted its new offer widely yet.

The price war ignited by Reliance Jio in the Indian telecom industry is getting fierce by the day. Even though Jio has ended its freebies, the telco's affordable plans continue to threaten incumbents' dominance in the market. This has forced telcos to launch new plans and offers to attract new subscribers and retain existing ones.

Vodafone recently launched its Ramzan pack, where postpaid customers get free unlimited calling and 25GB 3G/4G data for a price of Rs 786. The pack is valid for subscribers in Assam and North East region. The Ramzan offer also extends to subscribers in UP West and Uttarakhand, who can avail unlimited 2G data for just Rs 5 and unlimited 3G data for Rs 19 with a validity of one hour.

For users in other parts of the country, there's a Rs 345 pack with unlimited calls, unlimited 2G data and 1GB 4G data per day for 28 days. Other telcos, including Airtel, also have disruptive plans depending on the regions. Check telcos' official websites for offers.