Now, you can pay your mobile and electricity bills with Amazon Pay money

Amazon India has launched a bill payment facility that allows customers to pay electricity, landline, broadband, gas and postpaid bills across more than 100 billers in the country.

Customers can access these categories using the Amazon Pay dashboard and the Amazon home page on the mobile app/website. The service enables bill payments through most of the major billers across various cities in India. These include billers like BSES, Tata Power, BESCOM, BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance Jio, ACT, Hathway, IGL and MGL. Amazon drives customers to utilize their Amazon Pay account beyond the marketplace, to categories like Mobile Recharges, DTH Recharges, bill payments, travel, and movie booking use cases.

Amazon has also partnered with select billers, telecom and DTH operators to offer exclusive promotional offers to customers across recharges and bill payments. "The launch of bill payments on Amazon reinforces Amazon’s commitment to Indian customers to provide them new categories and a wide selection of services.," said Shariq Plasticwala, Director – Payments, Amazon India.

Jio witnesses highest user engagement of up to 30% among all telcos

Reliance Jio apps witnessed the highest subscriber utilisation (number of subscribers using the app) of up to 30 per cent among telecom service providers, says a recent study. For other telcos, the utilisation level was 10-20 per cent.

While part of the high engagement is due to Jio’s presence across smartphones and app-enabled feature phones, analysts said this did not mean that Jio would be able convert that into higher average revenue per user (Arpu).

In a recent report, UBS Evidence Lab said: "While Jio is slightly ahead of incumbents on app engagement, overall engagement levels are low and will limit (all) telcos' ability to charge for these apps separately. Global examples of telcos being able to charge separately for content are limited." The report noted that customer engagement on apps of telecom operators is below 25 per cent.

BSNL offer: Recharge with Rs 98, get 1.5GB data per day: What you must know

Taking on Reliance Jio, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has launched 'Data Tsunami' offer, under which users will get 1.5GB data per day for a period of 26 days with a charge of Rs 98. The state operator has also upped the FUP limit for its Rs 4,999 FTTH plan to stay put in the fibre connectivity competition. "BSNL provides efficient services at cheaper rates as per requirement of customers. This is a pure data STV which provides at a very economic rate at Rs 2.51 per GB," said RK Mittal, Director (CM), BSNL Board, in a press statement.

All you need to know about BSNL's 'Data Tsunami' offer
BSNL 1.5GB data per day pack
The new offer comes through the new data STV-98 pack that is available with immediate effect across all BSNL circles in India. Users will get 1.5GB data per day for a period of 26 days with a charge of Rs 98. With the fresh benefits that are available through the Rs 98 pack, BSNL is offering data at Rs 2.51 per GB. This is lower than what Jio is offering with its Rs 149 pack that has a validity of 28 days and offers 1.5GB data per day - which eventually costs Rs 3.5 per GB. Airtel also has a similar Rs 149 pack that brings the data benefits close to Rs 5.3 per GB. However, both Jio and Airtel are providing unlimited voice calls and 100 SMS messages per day that you won't get on the Rs. 98 BSNL pack. This Rs 98 pack offers only data, unlike the Rs 118 pack.

4G smartphones at Rs 3,399: Airtel, Amazon tie up for affordable devices

India’s largest telecommunications service provider Airtel and Amazon India, on Friday announced a strategic partnership with an aim to jointly drive smartphone adoption across the country.

Millions of Indians can now become first time owners of a 4G smartphone or upgrade to an advanced 4G smartphone of their choice at an affordable price from amongst a wide range of devices starting at an effective price of only Rs 3399.

Apple Watch 3 LTE goes on sale: Airtel offer, Jio's new service and more

The much-awaited Apple Watch Series 3 Cellular edition is now available in India through Reliance Jio and Airtel owned platforms. The watch, which comes in several variants, can now be purchased from Jio stores and Reliance Digital outlets. Airtel users can order the watch through the telecom's online store.

The 38 mm variant of the watch is available for Rs 39,080, while the 42 mm model is being sold at Rs 41,120.

On the hardware front, the GPS only model of the watch comes with 8GB internal memory, while the GPS+Cellular model comes with 16 GB internal memory. Watch Series 3 comes with a dual-core S3 processor and a W2 wireless chip.

Airtel is giving a cashback of Rs 5,000 to its customers who buy the watch through ICICI Credit EMI transactions from May 11 to June 10. The cashback will be credited within 90 days of the transaction.

Jio has launched a new service called JioEverywhereConnect, especially for the watch. The service will allow users to use the same Jio number on both their iPhone and Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular).

RJio new postpaid plan effect; Idea hits 52-week low, Airtel down 6%

Shares of telecom services provider are under pressure with the Idea Cellular hitting a fresh 52-week low, while Bharti Airtel falling 6% in intra-day trade on Friday after Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJio) announced a new unlimited postpaid plan on Thursday with national roaming, international calling and international roaming plans among others.
The all new JioPostpaid will be available for subscription starting 15th May, 2018. JioPostpaid marks a paradigm-shift in the way postpaid services are offered and consumed, just like Jio did with its prepaid services, Reliance Jio Infocomm (“Jio”), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries said in a press release.

Jio’s Rs 199 plan offers 25 GB of data along with free calling and free subscription of Jio apps. The plan, at almost half the price of what others are offering, is going to hit the old operators further.

“Airtel’s plan that can be matched with Jio starts at Rs 399, which offers 20 GB of data, unlimited calling and free subscriptions to Airtel TV and Wynk music. Vodafone’s plan, too, starts at Rs 399, which gives 20 GB of data and unlimited calling along with Vodafone Play services. Idea Cellular offers similar benefits for Rs 389. In case, the other telcos follow Jio, postpaid average revenue per user will come down,” the Business Standard report suggested. 

Flipkart pulls down Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ before sale on March 16

Home-grown e-commerce major Flipkart seems to have removed the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus from its portal before the start of the smartphones’ official sale on March 16. The flagship smartphones were first announced a day before the Mobile World Congress and unveiled in India on March 6.
The pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ began in India through Samsung online stores soon after the international unveiling at the MWC.

However, Samsung’s partner for online sales, Airtel online store and Flipkart, had started taking pre-orders after the official launch on March 6.
Starting March 6, Flipkart not only started taking the pre-orders but also listed the two smartphones as bundled with offers like Rs 5,000 additional discount on exchange, cashback of Rs 6,000 for HDFC credit and debit card holders and no-cost equated monthly instalments removing the interest component from EMIs paid to banks on the purchase of devices using a credit card.

Here is how to pre-book Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ via Samsung, Airtel, Flipkart

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung recently unveiled the flagship Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at the Mobile World Congress. These smartphones are set to launch in India on March 6.
The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus would go on sale in the country via the company’s official portal, besides online stores of e-commerce major Flipkart and Airtel. While the official Samsung portal and Airtel have already started taking pre-orders, Flipkart has listed these products and would take pre-orders starting from March 6.
Here is how to pre-book the Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9 Plus
Samsung Store
The company’s official online store is currently taking the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ pre-orders. Interested customers can pre-order the device of choice by paying an advance amount of Rs 2,000. On the official launch day of the smartphone, March 6, registered customers would receive a message and email notification mentioning the launch price and a timeline to complete the transaction.
If the customer chooses to buy the device, he/she can complete the transaction by paying the final amount (device price – preorder amount) within the stipulated time shared by the company.

However, if for any reason the customer chooses not to buy the product, the pre-order amount would return to the customer’s account within 7 working days.

Airtel, Intex offer affordable 4G smartphones bundled with free calls, data

Telecom service provider Bharti Airtel has partnered with home-grown handset maker Intex to launch a range of affordable 4G smartphones with an effective starting effective price of Rs 1,649. The phones come bundled with Airtel Rs 169 plan, which includes data and calling benefits.

The telecom provider offers the Intex Aqua Lions N1 4G smartphone at an effective price of Rs 1,649. To avail of the offer, you ' need to make a down payment of Rs 3,149 and get a Rs 1,500 cashback from Airtel, subject to terms and conditions. That brings the effective cost of the smartphone down to Rs 1,649. For getting the cashback, you have to make 36 continuous monthly recharges of Rs 169 from Airtel. After 18 months, you get a cash refund of Rs 500 and another Rs 1,000 after the completion of 36 months, taking the total cash benefit to Rs 1,500.

Talking about the smartphone's specifications, the dual-SIM Aqua Lions N1 is powered by MTK chipset and sports a 4-inch screen. There are 2-megapixel cameras on the back and front. The phone features 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage, expandable to up to 128GB.

 “We are really pleased to see the continued positive response to our ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative from customers as well as smartphone manufacturers. We are delighted to have Intex on board as a partner and their brand familiarity plus distribution reach will add to our affordable smartphone proposition and offer more choice to our customers. We look forward to working with them towards empowering every Indian with a 4G smartphone.”

Airtel launches two new Karbonn-branded smartphones at feature phone price

Bharti Airtel, in partnership with Karbonn Mobiles, has announced two smartphones – the A1 Indian and A41 power -- at an effective price of Rs 1,799 and Rs 1,849, respectively. This is a second time the telecom operator has partnered with Karbonn to launch smartphones under ‘Mera Pehla 4G smartphone’ initiative, aiming to provide affordable 4G smartphone to people seeking to move from feature phones to smartphones.

The Karbonn A41 Indian and Karbonn A41 Power smartphones, which have retail prices of Rs 4,390 and Rs 4,290, respectively, come bundled with a monthly pack of Rs 169 from Airtel, providing unlimited local and STD calls and 0.5GB of data per day, valid for 28 days.

To avail of the smartphone bundled with Airtel benefits, a customer needs to make a down payment of Rs 3,299 for A41 Indian and Rs 3,349 for A41 Power, respectively. The effective price of the smartphones is calculated after deducting the cashback from the principal amount.

Airtel is offering a total cashback of Rs 1,500 on both the smartphones, subject to certain terms and conditions. To avail of the cashback, Airtel customers need to make 36 continuous monthly recharges of Rs 169. At the end of 18 months, the customer will get a cash refund of Rs 500 and another Rs 1,000 after 36 months, taking the total cash benefit to Rs 1,500.

Reliance Jio takes on Airtel, Voda with 100% cashback on Rs 399 recharge

Reliance Jio on Thursday introduced a variety of discounts for its prepaid subscribers, including triple cashback of up to Rs 2,599 on every recharge of Rs 399 or above.

The triple cashback offer includes 100 per cent cashback vouchers of Jio worth Rs 400 on every Jio tariff plan recharge of Rs 399 or above and an instant cashback of up to Rs 300 on every recharge. The vouchers will include discounts at travel portals and retail stores.

While there was no reply to queries sent to Jio, its channel partners on condition of anonymity said the prime membership customers will get a cashback and vouchers for certain recharge amounts through wallets, including leading digital payment wallets like AmazonPay, AxisPay, FreeCharge, Mobikwik, Paytm and PhonePe.

The exclusive Jio Prime benefits will be available during the offer period from November 10-25, 2017.

The cashback redemption availability will have three categories:

• Jio cashback vouchers worth Rs 400, which include eight vouchers of Rs 50 each will be provided instantly in MyJio for redemption from November 15, 2017

• Instant cashback from partner wallets will be credited to user wallets instantly 

• E-commerce vouchers of up to Rs 1,899 for shopping on e-commerce platforms and discounts on flight tickets will be available from November 20, 2017 onwards on specific portals 

Jio effect: Airtel partners with Celkon, offers 4G smartphone at Rs 1349

India’s leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel on October 30 in partnership with Celkon launched a 4G Android smartphone for Rs 1,349. The phone comes bundled with Airtel's Rs 169 offer plan, which provides unlimited calls, and 500 MB data per day for 28 days.
The partnership is part of Airtel’s ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative, under which Airtel plans to collaborate with device manufacturers to launch smartphones at the price of a feature phone.

In terms of specifications, the Celkon Smart 4G smartphone sports a 4-inch screen, dual-SIM slots and FM radio. The Android powered 4G smartphone offers access to several apps on Google Play Store, including YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp. The device will also come preloaded with apps from Airtel -- MyAirtel app, Wynk music and Airtel TV.

The phone comes bundled with Airtel Rs 169 offer plan, which provides unlimited calls, and 500 MB data per day for 28 days. Also, there is a cashback offer that entails to terms and conditions.


To avail a cashback offer, ancustomer needs to make a down payment of Rs 2,849 for the 4G smartphone and make 36 continuous monthly recharges of Rs 169. The customer will get a cash refund of Rs 500 after 18 months and another Rs 1,000 after 36 months, taking the total cash benefit to Rs 1500.

In case the customer does not wish to opt for the Rs 169 bundled plan, she/he has the flexibility of doing recharges of any denomination and validity as per individual requirements. However, to claim the cash refund benefit, recharges worth Rs 3,000 must be done within the first 18 months (to claim the first refund installment of Rs 500) and another Rs 3,000 over the next 18 months (to claim the second refund installment of Rs 1000).     

Micromax Bharat-2 vs Karbonn A40: Voda, Airtel offer affordable smartphones

Vodafone India on October 24 announced inked a pact with Micromax to roll out a 4G smartphone at an effective price of Rs 999. Dubbed as Micromax Bharat-2 Ultra, the smartphone will go on sale in November. Recently, Bharti Airtel also collaborated with Karbonn Mobiles to offer a 4G smartphone – the Karbonn A40 Indian -- at an effective price of Rs 1,399.
The launch of budget smartphones seems to be the incumbents answer to Reliance JioPhone, which is a 4G LTE-enabled feature phone bundled with Jio connection for free data, voice calls, roaming, SMS and access to Jio apps.

Here is everything you need to know about the new offers and budget 4G smartphone
Vodafone
Smartphone: Micromax Bharat-2 Ultra

Specifications: The smartphone is powered by Spreadtrum SC9832 1.3 Ghz quad core processor coupled with 512 MB RAM and 4 GB internal storage. The device sports a 4-inch WVGA display, a 2 megapixel rear camera and a 0.3 MP front camera. The handset runs on Android Marshmallow operating system and houses a 1,300 mAh battery.

Offers: As per the company's offer, one will have to buy the smartphone at Rs 2,899 and will have to recharge their new or existing Vodafone numbers with a minimum denomination of Rs 150 every month for three years.The buyer will get a cash back of Rs 900 at the end of 18 months and another cash back of Rs 1,000 after the next 18 months (36 months after purchase) in Vodafone "M-Pesa" wallet.

Telecom shares rally; Idea, RCom up over 5%, Bharti Airtel hits 8-year high

Shares of telecom services providers rallied with Idea Cellular and Reliance Communications up more than 5% each, and Bharti Airtel at eight-year high on the BSE. MTNL, Tata Communications and Reliance Industries, too, were trading higher in the range of 1% to 3% as compared to 0.2% rise in the S&P BSE Sensex at 11:12 AM.

The S&P BSE Telecom index, the largest gainer among sectoral indices, was up 1.6%, hitting record high of 1,624 points in intra-day trade on Monday.

Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJio), a telecom arm of Reliance Industries, has decided to raise effective prices of most 4G tariff plans by 15-20% from October 19.

RJio’s revision of tariffs, which includes a reduction in the validity period, is a positive for the telecom sector and will ease some pressure off the incumbents, the Business Standard report suggests.
According to Financial Express report, the government will soon come out with regulations to allow telecom operators to enter into agreements for sharing of network-related infrastructure or Common Telecom Infrastructure (CTI), a move that will not only bring down operational cost of these companies, but also check the menace of call drops.

Bharti Airtel was up 3% at Rs 490, its highest level since May 2009 on the BSE. In past two weeks, the stock rallied 29% after the company said on October 12 that it will acquire the wireless business of the Tata Group.

Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) too locked in upper circuit for the seventh straight trading sessions up 5% at Rs 6.47 on the BSE. The stock zoomed 61% from Rs 4.02 on October 11, as compared to 2% rise in the S&P BSE Sensex.

Get Apple iPhone 7 at Rs 7,777 through Airtel Online Store: Know everything

Bharti Airtel is offering Apple iPhone 7 (32 GB storage variant) at a down payment of Rs 7,777 through its online store, which went live today i.e. on October 16. The smartphone comes bundled with additional data, free calls and national roaming, and Airtel secure package that covers the device against any physical damage and offers cyber protection.

To avail the iPhone 7 offer through Airtel online store, customers need to make a down payment of Rs 7,777 and enrol for 24 monthly instalments of Rs 2,499 each. The monthly instalments include the postpaid connection benefits that the telecom major is bundling along with the device. These benefits include 30 GB data, unlimited calling (local, STD, national roaming), and Airtel Secure package.

Airtel has partnered with Apple Inc., HDFC Bank, Clix Capital, Seynse Technologies, Brightstar Telecommunications and Vulcan Express to enable the digital experience on its Online Store.

Here is how to buy a device through Airtel online store:

• Go to www.airtel.in/onlinestore and select the device of your choice
• Check your eligibility and get instant loan approvals
• Make the down payment for phone     
• The device will be delivered to your preferred location/address

Bharti Airtel hits two-year high; stock up 16% in one week

STOCK MARKET - Bharti Airtel has hit a two-year high of Rs 441, up 2% in intra-day trade, extending its past four day gain on the BSE, after the company on Friday, October 13, said it had agreed with Tata  Teleservices Limited (TTSL) and Tata Teleservices Maharashtra (TTML), to combine their consumer mobile business (Tata CMB) with Bharti.

The stock is trading at its highest level since July 2015. It past one week, it rallied 16% as compared with 2.3% gain in the S&P BSE Sensex.

The transaction is subject to requisite regulatory and other approvals and expected to take 6-9 months to close. According to the agreement, Bharti will acquire Tata CMB's India's operations in nineteen circles, including the transfer of all assets (including spectrum) and customers, on a debt-free cash-free basis.

"The acquisition will strengthen Bharti's spectrum holdings and add around 40 million subscribers to the company's leading market position in India's highly competitive mobile telecommunications market, a credit  positive," said Annalisa Di Chiara,  Moody's Vice President and Senior Credit Officer in a note.

"While consolidation activity is positive for the industry in the long-term, we still expect competition to remain intense over the next 12-18 months as leading operators -- like Bharti, Vodafone India and Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited - look to protect and grow market share," the ratings agency said.

Airtel offers Rs 50GB data, unlimited calling at Rs 999 for postpaid users

After Reliance Jio’s ‘Dhan Dhana’ offer, now Airtel has come up with a new ‘myPlan Infinity’ postpaid plan at Rs 999 that provides customers with 50 GB of data and along with free unlimited calls, even on roaming.

What is the plan all about?
The Airtel new ‘myPlan Infinity’ plan is aimed at consumers with high data consumption. It is available for both new and existing users. The plan also comes with a data rollover promise which means that the unused data will be forwarded to the next billing cycle.

Limitations of the plan
This plan is only available for the postpaid users. The plan has no daily limit on data consumption. Once the 50 GB limit is exhausted, data access will be charged at 50p per MB.

Other benefits of the plan
The Airtel users will also get ‘Airtel Secure service’ for free for a period of six months with this plan. Under this service, the operator can get their phone repaired from an authorised service centre in case of any accidental damage.

Other plans of Airtel
Airtel had earlier announced Rs 999 pack for its prepaid customers in September, with 112GB of data doled out at 4GB per day and ‘unlimited’ calls.
Airtel also partnered with Karbonn to launch a 4G-enabled smartphone, priced effectively at Rs 1,399. Users will have to pay Rs 2,899, out of which Rs 1,500 will be refunded. The user will have to use the device for a minimum of 18 months to be eligible to get the first Rs 500 refunded. The other Rs 1000 will be refunded once the user completes 36 months of usage.

Airtel takes on JioPhone with Rs 1,399 4G smartphone: All you need to know

Bharti Airtel has collaborated with home-grown Karbonn Mobiles to offer a 4G smartphone at an effective price of Rs 1,399. Dubbed ‘Mera Pehla 4G smartphone’ by the telecom major, the initiative is aimed at providing affordable 4G smartphone to people seeking to move from feature phones to smartphones and experience high-speed internet on the go.

Under the partnership, the Karbonn A40 Indian smartphone, which has a retail price of Rs 3,499, will be offered at an effective price of Rs 1,399. The smartphone comes bundled with a monthly pack of Rs 169 from Airtel, which offers generous data and calling benefits.

avail of the smartphone bundled with Airtel benefits, the customer needs to make a down payment of Rs 2899 for the 4G smartphone and make 36 continuous monthly recharges of Rs 169. The customer will get a cash refund of Rs 500 after 18 months and another Rs 1000 after 36 months, taking the total cash benefit to Rs 1500.

Karbon A40 India smartphone with Airtel bundle offer Karbon A40 India smartphone with Airtel bundle offer In case the customer does not wish to opt for the Rs 169 bundled plan, she/he has the flexibility of doing recharges of any denomination and validity as per individual requirements. However, to claim the cash refund benefit, recharges worth Rs 3000 must be done within the first 18 months (to claim the first refund installment of Rs 500) and another Rs 3000 over the next 18 months (to claim the second refund installment of Rs 1000).
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Bharti Airtel recovers after initial fall; RIL at new high as TRAI cuts IUC

Bharti Airtel recouped losses in noon deals to trade at Rs 395 levels after falling nearly 6% to Rs 370 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). Idea Cellular, on the other hand, continued to trade 2.4% lower at Rs 81 levels.

Both these stocks were hammered after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) cut termination charge for all mobile to mobile calls to 6 paise per minute from 14 paise effective October 1.

That apart, in two years, the charges would come down to zero, meaning there won’t be any payment for calls landing on other telcos’ networks. The decision came in post market hours on Tuesday.

Following the development, Idea Cellular slipped 7% to Rs 76.85, while Bharti Airtel was down 6% to Rs 370 on the BSE in morning trade.

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Airtel offers 60 GB free data plan for 6 months: All you need to know

India’s leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel is offering 60 GB additional data valid for six months to postpaid subscribers. To make it convenient for prospective subscribers, the telecom giant is also offering free home delivery of postpaid SIM card.

According to the terms and conditions, postpaid subscribers enrolled on Airtel Infinity Plans, which start from Rs 499, can avail 10 GB additional data per month for six consecutive months. Also, the company is offering data carried forward option that allows subscribers to carry forward their unused data to next billing cycle.

The telecom operator has also been offering 30 GB additional data valid for 3 months to its postpaid subscribers.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to avail a new postpaid connection and get additional data benefits from Airtel:

Step 1: Click here to go to Airtel website and look for the banner that reads ‘Get new connection’

Step 2: Choose from available plans and click next (Bonus data offer is valid on plans starting from Rs 499 onwards)
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