Coronavirus lockdown: BSNL, MTNL extend prepaid validity till April 20, Airtel till April 17

State-run BSNL and MTNL are extending the prepaid pack validity for their subscribers till April 20 in line with sector regulator TRAI’s directive for all telecom operators in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak. This means subscribers can continue to receive incoming calls even after the validity of their prepaid plan is exhausted. BSNL and MTNL will also credit an additional Rs 10 worth of talk-time in their prepaid accounts so they can continue making phone calls or sending SMS even after zero balance.

Union telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wrote on microblogging website Twitter that extending the prepaid validity by April 20 and providing Rs 10 worth of additional talk-time even after zero balance will “enable poor people to make calls for help even if they don’t have any balance left.”