Coronavirus lockdown: Airtel extends prepaid validity for 80 million ‘under-privileged’ subscribers till April 17

Hours after sector regulator TRAI put out the directive for all telecom operators in wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Airtel has announced that it is extending the prepaid pack validity for over 80 million ‘under-privileged’ subscribers till April 17. This means that all the subscribers covered under the ‘relief’ will be able to access incoming calls even after the validity of their plan is exhausted. Airtel said it is also going to add or credit an additional Rs 10 worth of talk-time in their prepaid accounts that can be encashed for making calls or sending SMS. Airtel will roll out these ‘benefits’ to users in the next 48 hours.

The 80 million subscriber figure ‘effectively’ covers all under-privileged households on the Airtel network, the telco said, adding that these special measures will particularly benefit migrant workers and daily wage earners who may be impacted during India’s 21-day novel coronavirus lockdown.