New Delhi: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has revised its Rs 197 prepaid plan, significantly reducing both its validity and bundled benefits.

Previously, the plan offered 70 days of validity, with 15 days of core benefits that included unlimited local and STD voice calls, 2GB of data per day and 100 SMS per day. However, the updated plan has cut overall validity to 54 days, and the core benefits have been substantially scaled back.

According to BSNL’s website, the revised Rs 197 prepaid plan now provides 300 minutes of voice calls, 4GB of total data, and 100 SMS messages for the full validity period. Once the data limit is exhausted, users will still have access to mobile internet, but at a reduced speed of 40Kbps.

The removal of daily SMS and unlimited calling benefits, coupled with a 16-day reduction in plan validity, marks a notable downgrade. This plan had been a popular choice for subscribers looking to keep their mobile numbers active at minimal cost. With the changes, users may need to explore alternative plans to suit their needs.

Despite the reduced plan benefits, BSNL has shown strong financial growth. In the fourth quarter of the financial year 2024-25(Q4), the telecom operator reported a profit after tax of Rs 280 crore, a significant turnaround from the Rs 849 crore loss in the same quarter of the previous financial year.

The company has also been investing heavily in infrastructure. In Q4 FY25, BSNL spent Rs 15,324 crore on building network towers and related equipment, alongside an additional Rs 10,698 crore for spectrum acquisition, with a focus on 4G rollout and fibre expansion.