Airtel now lets you carry forward unused data

Image: Adnan Abidi/ Reuters

Do you worry about losing unused data on your phone at the end of the month? If so, you perhaps now have a window of relief.

Starting next month, telecom major Bharti Airtel (Airtel) will enable customers to carry forward their unused monthly data quota (up to 200GB) to the next billing cycle that will cut down data wastage for customers.

The announcement was made by Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India & South Asia) at Bharti Airtel, while launching ‘Project Next’, a digital innovation program, in the capital on Monday.  

“Under Project Next, we have decided to launch several exciting digital innovations to enhance customer satisfaction. Our aim has always been to eliminate customer frustration and make the experience better via digital innovation,” he said.

‘Project Next’ will entail a total investment of Rs 2,000 crore over the next three years. This comes two years after the company launched Project Leap in 2015 where it had announced a whopping Rs 60,000 crore worth of investment on a comprehensive network transformation program.  

When asked if the investment figure for ‘Project Next’ is lower than that of Project Leap, Vittal said “investments required for digital initiatives are typically lower.”

Under ‘Project Next’, Airtel customers who use postpaid plans can now create customised solutions for their family by adding multiple postpaid connections to their account. “This new feature will enable them to enjoy savings of up to 20 percent,” said Vittal. “They can also pool and share their data benefits across all connections,” he added.

And that’s not all, the company has also introduced ‘Airtel Secure’ - a digital smartphone protection suite, wherein customers can now protect their smartphones against accidents and damage caused by liquid.  For this, a customer would need to shell out anywhere between Rs 49 and Rs 99 depending on the model of the phone. The company has tied up with vendors and insurers for this service.

“If a customer’s device is accidentally damaged, Airtel will arrange for a pick-up of the device, get it repaired from an authorized service center and deliver it back to the customer. What makes Airtel Secure unique is that it is the only solution to offer damage protection for smartphones up to two years old,” said Vittal.