HIGHLIGHTS

* Airtel Xstream Fiber broadband service has a new affordable plan.
* This plan is the cheapest one launched by Airtel so far.
* Here’s a look at what you get with the Airtel Xstream Broadband Lite plan. 
* Airtel Broadband Lite plan silently launched in India for Rs 219 monthly rental.
* The plan takes on Jio’s Rs 198 Backup Plan that was launched recently.
* Currently, Airtel Broadband Lite is only available in three circles – Bihar, UP East, and AP.

Airtel has launched a new plan for its fiber broadband service, and it’s called the ‘Broadband Lite’ plan. As the name suggests, this is an affordably priced Airtel Xstream plan that consumers can opt for. This is also the cheapest Airtel Xstream Fiber broadband plan that the telco has launched so far.

Airtel Xstream Fiber Broadband Lite Plan silently launched in India for Rs 219 monthly rental. The plan was launched in response to Jio’s Backup Plan worth Rs 198, launched last month with one-click speed upgrades, OTT benefits, and live TV channels.

In contrast, Airtel Xstream Fiber Broadband Lite plan offers no such benefits except a free router and a fixed speed. Here are all details about the newly launched Airtel Broadband Lite plan and how it fares against Jio’s Backup Plan.

Airtel Xstream Broadband Lite Plan

The Airtel Xstream Broadband Lite plan is priced at Rs 219 monthly, and with a validity of 12 months. At present, the plan has to be purchased at once which means that consumers will have to pay for 12 months at once, and this costs Rs 3,101 along with GST included. With the Airtel Xstream Broadband Lite plan, users get 10 Mbps of broadband speed and a free router as well.

Other than the above mentioned offers, there are no benefits that come along with this plan. Also, Airtel is currently limiting this plan to only three circles including Bihar, UP East and Andhra Pradesh. There is no word on whether Airtel plans to make it available to other circles as well.

Airtel Xstream Fiber Broadband Plans

The new Airtel Xstream Fiber Broadband Lite plan is cheap compared to other existing ones but it doesn’t have any benefits and offers minimal speed. If you’re looking for more then you can choose among a total of five Xstream Fiber broadband plans.

The basic plan is priced at Rs 499 and it offers up to 40 Mbps speed, unlimited internet and calls, Apollo 24/7, FASTag and Wynk Music subscriptions. The Airtel Xstream Fiber standard plan costs Rs 799 with up to 100 Mbps speed, and this one has an added benefit of subscription to the Xstream Premium pack.

For those wanting a content-packed plan can go for the entertainment plan that costs Rs 999 per month and offers up to 200 Mbps speed. With this you get subscriptions to Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime, and Xtsream Premium pack.

Then there’s the Airtel Xstream Fiber professional plan priced at Rs 1,498 that offers up to 300 Mbps speed and includes a Netflix subscription as well. The most expensive Airtel Xstream Fiber plan is priced at Rs 3,999 per month, and it has all the benefits with up to 1Gbps speed.

Airtel Xstream Fiber Broadband Lite Plan Launched in India: Here Are the Details

Airtel has silently launched its most affordable Xstream Fiber broadband plan in India. The new plan is Airtel Broadband Lite and is priced at Rs 219 monthly. Currently, the plan is only available as an annual subscription and offers 10Mbps speed to its users.

According to the Airtel website, the plan comes with a free router. Users must pay Rs 3,101 in total to sign up for the new plan. Unfortunately, the new Airtel Broadband Lite Plan is available only in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh East, and Andhra Pradesh. Moreover, there are no OTT or live TV benefits either.

Airtel Xstream Fiber Broadband Lite Plan vs Jio Fiber Backup Plan

As you can see in the table above, the Jio Fiber Backup plan is the better of the two plans. In the case of the Airtel Broadband Lite plan, users get 10Mbps fixed speed for 12 months at Rs 219 per month, which translates to Rs 3,101 annually, including GST. On the other hand, Jio is letting users sign up for the Fiber Backup plan for Rs 1,490, which includes a 5-month subscription and installation charges.

However, Jio offers a 30Mbps or 100Mbps one-click speed upgrade for one, two, or seven days. The pricing for these speed upgrades starts from Rs 21 for 30Mbps speed for a day to Rs 152 for 100Mbps for a week. Jio is also offering entertainment upgrade plans worth Rs 100 per month and Rs 200 per month. For Rs 100 a month, users will get a free 4K set-top box, 400 live television channels, 6 OTT apps, and a YouTube subscription. And for Rs 200 a month, users will get eight additional OTT services and 550 live TV channels.

Not only that, but Jio is also offering Entertainment Bonanza Plans ranging from 10Mbps to 300Mbps with varying OTT benefits and live TV channels. If a user doesn’t want the OTT and TV benefits, there are three internet-only Jio Fiber Backup plans for Rs 198, Rs 399, and Rs 699.

Clearly, Jio is a better option with varying add-ons for its Fiber Backup plan. Granted, you must pay for the upgrades, but having these options is commendable. On the contrary, Airtel’s plan is relatively straightforward and will suit those who need basic Internet connectivity.

Faqs on Airtel Xstream Fiber Broadband Lite Plan

1) JioFiber Broadband Back-Up Plan. Details?

Ans) As we told, this new light plan of Airtel will compete with the Jio Fiber Backup plan of Jio company present in the market. The plan is priced at Rs 198 per month, which was launched last month. In this plan, users will get unlimited data at a speed of 10 Mbps. This backup plan will be useful to the user in case the primary connection goes down. Along with this, the company also brings speed upgrade plans, in which users will get 1 day, 2 days and 7 days options. Also, the internet speed can be increased from 30 Mbps to 100 Mbps.

If you want a plan for 1 day, then you will have to pay Rs 21 for a plan with 30 Mbps speed, while the cost of a plan with 100 Mbps speed is Rs 32. The plan with 30 Mbps speed for 2 days costs Rs 31, while 100 Mbps speed will cost Rs 52. The cost of the plan with 30 Mbps speed for 7 days is Rs 101, while for 100 Mbps speed you will have to pay Rs 152.

For example, if you think that your primary internet connection will be down for a day, then you can go with a plan with 30 Mbps or 100 Mbps speed option.

2) How do the two plans compare?

Ans) While both Jio and Airtel’s plans are pitched against each other, there are a few differences in both offerings which a potential subscriber should keep in mind before opting for either. Both plans are only available for new users and come with a minimum subscription duration of 5 months (990+GST for Jio & 995+GST for Airtel) and have a Rs 500 charge for installation though the router is free with both plans. As for the speed, both plans come with 10 Mbps bundled but Jio Fiber backup plan offers flexible 1/2/7 day speed booster packs to upgrade speeds to 30 or 100 Mbps whereas the Xstream Fiber Standby plan can only be upgraded permanently to one of the standard Xstream plans and does not offer temporary speed boosters.

As for the entertainment add-ons both plans offer optional upgrades which provide a free hybrid set-top box. While JioFiber Backup plan offers a bundled subscription to 6 OTT apps and 400 live channels at an additional Rs 100/month and 14 OTT apps and 550 live channels at an additional Rs 200/month, the Xstream Fiber Standby plan offers 350+ live channels at an additional Rs 200/month with no bundled OTT subscriptions. The main difference between the live channel offerings by both operators is that Jio STB provides it over the data network through the bundled OTT apps whereas Airtel STB provides it over the traditional DTH network.

Availability

While the JioFiber Backup plan has been openly advertised by the operator and is available to any new subscriber to book, the Airtel Xstream Fiber Standby plan is currently only available through Airtel executives who would offer it to subscribers who don’t opt for the standard Rs 499 plan due to affordability issues. Airtel has specified that the Rs 399 standby plan is not eligible for Airtel Black benefits.

Airtel Xstream Fiber has also launched another 10 Mbps plan called Broadband Lite plan priced at Rs 219 plus GST and has to be subscribed for 12 months in advance, bringing the cost to Rs 3101 inclusive of GST with no additional installation charge and offers a free wifi router. This is currently available only in three telecom circles namely Bihar, UP East, and Andhra Pradesh and may be extended to other circles eventually.

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