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In order to tackle the growing threat of JioPhone Next, Bharti Airtel has prepared a new scheme to offer cashbacks. The telco will offer Rs. 6,000 cashback to customers who purchase a smartphone priced up to Rs. 12,000. The telco has revived its "Mera Pehla Smartphone" scheme, to target more 2G customers who are still looking to buy their first smartphone.
Bharti Airtel's Rehash of Mera Pehla Smartphone
The telco has said that the scheme will cover more than 150 smartphones. To avail the benefit, a customer has to recharge with an Airtel prepaid pack of at least Rs. 249 continuously. The customer has to maintain uninterrupted recharges for a period of 36 months. After the customer has done so, the telco will credit the cashback in 2 instalments, the first installment of Rs. 2,000 after 18 months and the remaining Rs 4,000 after 36 months.
Bharti Airtel explained the same in a statement. It read, “for example, a customer opts for a device priced Rs. 6,000. She enjoys generous data quotas and unlimited calling benefits with every Airtel repaid recharge to unlock a superior smartphone experience. At the end of 36 months, with an attractive cashback benefit of Rs. 6,000, the customer gets back her entire investment in the device while being able to stay digitally connected".
What's more, the customers who opt in this program will also receive a one-time screen replacement by Servify. This adds an additional Rs. 4,800 in cost benefits. Customers can simply opt in the program via the Airtel Thanks App within 90 days after they have done the first eligible recharge for Mera Pehla Smartphone. Along with this, customers will also get a free Wynk Music subscription, and a 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime Video Mobile Edition.
A Good Counter to JioPhone Next?
On the relaunch of Mera Pehla Smartphone, Shashwat Sharma, Director – Marketing & Communications, said, "as millions of customers across India aspire for a quality smartphone for good online experience, our ambition is to make it easier for them to own the device of their choice. We will continue to bring to market a range of interventions as part of this innovative program and enable customers to get on to the digital highway".
With this scheme, Airtel has set its eyes on its 120 million 2G users - almost a third of its total subscribers - to try and get them on 4G. Also, the telco will look to immunize the demographic against attempts from Jio; the JioPhone Next will probably retail at less than Rs. 7,000, and will roll out some time later this month.
However, Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal had said that he didn’t believe that the handset subsidy route was the right one, adding that Airtel had clarity on "how to deal with this (JioPhone Next)". What's more, the company has piloted with OEMs to partner on affordable handsets. Vittal had said that the company will also look to banks to partner on lending options.