In a significant move, Reliance Jio has partnered with BSNL to create a plan that might catch Airtel and Vodafone off guard. The company led by Mukesh Ambani has introduced two new intra-circle roaming (ICR) recharge plans for its users in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It's worth mentioning that these plans were made in partnership with the government-run BSNL. The goal is to give Jio customers network access in places where Jio's signal isn't strong. In rural or isolated areas, Jio users will be able to connect to BSNL's network. Jio confirmed that the BSNL service will be accessible through specific prepaid recharges. This will allow customers to use voice calls, data, and SMS services on the BSNL network in the same area.
The Intra-Circle Roaming (ICR) recharge plans are offered at Rs 196 and Rs 396, as reported by Telecom Talk. Both plans are valid for 28 days. The ₹196 plan provides 2 GB of data, 1,000 minutes for voice calls, and 1,000 SMS messages. The ₹396 option, which is the larger plan, includes 10 GB of data, while the voice call and SMS limits remain the same at 1,000 minutes and 1,000 messages. Jio has stated that these plans will operate only on BSNL's ICR network. These offerings are part of Jio’s effort to improve coverage in rural and semi-urban areas by utilizing BSNL's network. To remember, on November 2, 2025, the Department of Telecommunications posted on X (Twitter) about checking a 4G location in Umed village, Rajasthan. The ICR trial between BSNL and Jio was successful there. This partnership for network sharing is expected to improve connectivity in distant regions.
Bharti Airtel has set up 4G towers with financial support from the government through the Digital India Fund, previously known as the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). The company states that these towers have been installed in rural parts of states including Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar. This project has been executed in partnership with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
