r/Airtel

My physical SIM was deactivated due to a technical glitch in the Airtel Thanks app during an eSIM upgrade. I went to the airtel store in Hyderabad. The airtel employee explicitly told me the app eSIM process is broken and they don't allow customers to do it themselves.

The number is registered to my brother, who is currently in the US. The employee took my brother's NRI documents via WhatsApp to process a manual SIM replacement.

He charged me ₹1699 for this new physical SIM (I was stressed about losing my number so paid him quickly without thinking much, it was only few days later when I researched about it and learned that the cost for new Sim is usually 50-200 rupees).

It took 7 to 8 days to get a working sim, but the network finally activated and I can make calls and use mobile data now.

My questions:

Is ₹1699 the official Airtel fee for processing a manual NRI SIM replacement, or did this employee pocket the money? I read the official cost is ₹50.

What is the exact escalation path to report this specific employee for extortion and get a refund? The 198/121 IVR bots are useless for store-level complaints.

Please do share what I should do next?

899rs plan shows 2gb per day for my friend but 1.5gb per day for me, how tf this works? I am fucking porting to Jio

I previously had a recharge of 349 but then today paid for 449. But it seems like no recharge took place. I still have the old pack. Please help

So on my iphone i used the in built eSIM feature of apple on my airtel postpaid sim, but even after like 3 hours it is still showing activating in settings with no signal, help me urgent pls

Just confirmed with the customer care, and they said after 300gb it is limited to 80kbps 🙂. It is not about the limit I am irritated, but not mentioning the actual usable limit no where. If I didn't know this I might have used more data and could have have been stuck with 80kbps for rest of the month

Bought the Airtel Xstream Fiber 40 Mbps plan today and completed the payment more than 5 hours ago, but no Airtel technician came for installation during that time. The communication and support experience was very poor, and updates were unclear.

Later, we were told that society wiring work was needed. Even though Airtel technicians were doing the actual wiring and installation work, the society electrician demanded ₹1000 after the work was completed. These additional charges were never informed before payment or installation started.

There are already Airtel Wi-Fi connections visible in the society, so this delay and lack of transparency was disappointing. Customers should be informed clearly in advance about any possible extra society or electrician charges before taking payment.

Wanted to share my recent experience with Airtel Fiber because the entire process was unnecessarily complicated and confusing.

I already had an Airtel Xstream Fiber connection in Nagpur on the 300 Mbps plan. Around February 2026, I decided to upgrade to the 1 Gbps plan along with a static IP.

The upgrade request was raised successfully, but after that, nothing really moved.

For the next several weeks:

- the order remained stuck in pending,

- support teams kept giving inconsistent answers,

- and no one could clearly explain whether the issue was technical, operational, or backend-related.

The most common response I received from local ground staff and support executives was that 1 Gbps was not available for residential customers in Nagpur. Even though the website and app said 1 Gbps option from the beginning.

What made the situation even more confusing was that during the initial days after my fiber installation, I had actually received speeds close to 1 Gbps despite officially being on the 300 Mbps plan. This clearly suggested that:

- the ONT/router was capable,

- the fiber infrastructure was capable,

- and some form of gigabit provisioning had already worked on the same connection earlier.

After that initial period, speeds dropped back to ~300 Mbps and stayed there.

Since nobody was providing a proper explanation, I started escalating the matter through emails. I repeatedly asked Airtel to clarify whether the issue was related to:

- OLT capacity,

- backend provisioning,

- port allocation,

- feasibility locking,

- or any actual infrastructure limitation.

Unfortunately, most responses were generic template replies or callback assurances that never materialized.

At one point, support promised that I would receive a callback within 4 hours regarding the upgrade request. Nobody contacted me.

I then escalated the issue further through appellate/escalation channels and also made a Reddit post describing the situation. After that, I was contacted by someone from Airtel’s social media escalation team who asked for the DSL/fixed-line ID and details of the issue so it could be reviewed internally.

Only after all these escalations did the request finally start moving.

The connection has now been successfully upgraded to:

- 1 Gbps Airtel Fiber

- Static IP enabled

- same connection,

- same infrastructure,

- same location,

- no hardware changes.

Which is why I still genuinely want to understand what the actual issue was.

If the upgrade was ultimately possible on the exact same setup, then:

- why was the order pending for so long?

- why was incorrect information repeatedly communicated about 1 Gbps availability in Nagpur?

- and why did such a straightforward plan upgrade require this level of escalation?

Overall, I’m happy that the issue is finally resolved, but the process definitely shouldn’t have been this difficult and frustrating for an existing fiber customer simply trying to upgrade their plan.

Posting this in case anyone else is facing similar “not feasible” responses from Airtel regarding gigabit upgrades.

P.S. would highly recommend finding your relevant appellate authority email and directly connecting with them. The 121 email is practically useless, just send a formal email there for a paper trail.

Note: Used AI for formatting.

Does anyone know about the real cost of the equipment provided by Jio and Airtel in their Airfiber connection?

When I searched a little bit about it I found that the equipment nearly cost about 14000 rupees insanely high compared to the plans they provide.

How do they even make up their cost of the equipment?

I live in Nashik, Maharashtra

Since 4-5 days I cannot use my high internet speeds after evening.

As soon as the clock it's 5pm or 6pm my internet speed is being heavily reduced.

I am thinking to switch as I have no other option left I am a student who also needs to attend online lectures/classes and due to this I am unable to do so.

I bought airtel because it had the crown of being the best.

Airtel, you have let me down.

Airtel [Mobile Data User]

I’ve noticed something in many telecom companies like Airtel.

When network issues happen or customer support is needed, it feels like postpaid customers get priority first, while prepaid users are treated like second priority.

Even inside some company environments, employees are pressured to focus more on postpaid activations because the company earns more revenue from them. Meanwhile prepaid customers also recharge regularly and are huge in number, but service quality sometimes feels lower.

Examples:

Faster support for postpaid users

Better retention offers

Priority network handling in some cases

Employees pushed to sell postpaid connections aggressively

As a prepaid customer, this feels unfair sometimes because both are paying customers.

Do you think telecom companies should treat prepaid and postpaid users equally?

Or is prioritizing postpaid customers simply a business strategy?

Would like to hear real experiences from others.

I live outside India. I recharged my Airtel pre-paid SIM about a month ago. For years this has been sufficient for my needs as far as receiving OTPs are concerned. This morning, I noticed that I wasn't receiving OTPs as I tried to log into my bank account. Then I noticed this text message from Airtel:

SMS (incoming + outgoing), calling, and data services have been stopped on your number while abroad, as you do not have an International Roaminig pack.

To restore the services, please recharge with a new Airtel International Roaming pack now.

Choose from:

1) 5-Day Pack: 2GB data, 150 mins & more at Rs.898

2) 10-Day Pack - 3GB data, 200 mins & more at Rs 1198

3) 30-Day Pack - 10 GB data, 300 mins & more at Rs 2998

Etc.

I did some digging and found that this process was initiated a year ago. I don't know why it's affecting me only now, but this is the first I've heard of it. Logged into the app and I see boldly written on top -- "Don't miss important OTPS in abroad - 1 year NRI pack with unlimited incoming SMS - Buy Rs 4,999 Pack".

This is a total bait and switch. No prior notification of the policy change, I've already paid X, now I should pay 2X more to get back functionality that has worked for the last 15 years? Whoever came up with this idea - let me congratulate you for providing zero value, being a complete pain in my ass, and making me determined to stop using your services at the earliest opportunity. I will never pay you a cent ever again.

Also - does anyone at Airtel actually speak English? "in abroad" -- really? Dumbasses...

Edit: It gets even better when you read their [press release](https://www.airtel.in/press-release/04-2025/airtel-announces-new-plans-to-revolutionize-international-roaming-ir-experience) from last year.

New Delhi, April 25, 2025: Bharti Airtel has announced new plans to its IR portfolio that will make it simpler, more affordable and completely hassle-free for customers. The company has unveiled India’s first unlimited* IR plans that offers unlimited data across 189 countries.

Additionally, for the long-staying NRI community, Airtel also launched a unique recharge plan for Rs. 4000 with one-year validity. The plan offers 5GB data and 100 voice minutes for use when abroad, while in India customers can use the same plan and get 1.5GB daily data and unlimited call benefits. The plan give customers a hassle-free connectivity experience anywhere across the 189 countries and use the same number while in India without having to do a separate recharge.

In what way is this simpler, more affordable, and more hassle-free for customers?

I wanted to set up port forwarding, and since Airtel IPv4 uses CGNAT, I logged into the router's configuration page to enable IPv6, but everything related to IPv6 setup was greyed out. Then I called the person who manages complaints in my area (I've been a customer for years now), and he told me Airtel doesn't provide IPv6 in our area.

Is it true that Airtel does not provide IPv6 nationwide? If so, is there another way to set up port forwarding without paying a monthly fee for a static IPv4 address?

Hi, I have a question regarding Airtel’s 1-year international roaming pack.

I’m currently an Airtel postpaid subscriber on the ₹449/₹499 plan (I don’t remember the exact one). I need a 1-year international roaming plan so I can continue using the same number to make calls back to India. I’m currently based in the UAE, and the local plans here are already quite expensive.

My question is regarding the 1-year roaming plan that Airtel offers for ₹14,999 + taxes on postpaid. Is it a good option to consider? More specifically, is this amount charged on top of my existing ₹499 monthly postpaid bill, or does it replace my current plan charges for the year?

I also noticed that Airtel has a prepaid option for around ₹4,999, which is significantly cheaper. However, it’s not clear whether the included minutes and data reset every month, or whether it’s a one-time allocation for the entire validity period.

Would appreciate some clarity on this. Thanks.

It appears like Airtel suffered a cybersecurity breach and customer data was leaked and is now available on the dark web. Do change your passwords and submit complaints to DOT about Airtel’s data handling - they’re absolutely awful.

guys where tf is add on data, my data just got over and i cant find add on data, like how much more does airtel exploite people, increase plan tariffs, now remove add ons too, are we supposed to just keep on buying plans until we burn our pockets, like bloody 1000rs for 3 months, on top of that no add ons too, fucking outrageous

https://preview.redd.it/3jiflpp6v22h1.png?width=3836&format=png&auto=webp&s=2d40e4367ba819a7eca16b0fa0c9598fd0762da1

Looks like Airtel has officially started deploying consumer-facing 5G network slicing features in India under “Airtel Priority”.

According to their announcement:

• Airtel upgraded its 5G network with dynamic slicing capabilities
• Priority traffic handling for postpaid users during congestion
• Works on 5G SA-enabled smartphones
• Available automatically for Airtel postpaid customers
• Airtel claims it’s the first telecom operator in India to launch slicing-based 5G services

TRAI and net neutrality discussions might become interesting if telecoms start prioritizing:

• Certain plans
• Enterprise traffic
• Partner apps/services
• Gaming/video platforms

More info: https://www.airtel.in/press-release/05-2026/airtel-launches-priority-postpaid-delivering-superior-network-experience-for-its-customers/

I would like to personally congratulate Airtel for achieving what modern physics could not:

The spontaneous disappearance of 3.3TB of internet in 7 days.

For months since October, Airtel has been informing me that my household is apparently running NASA, Netflix India, and a secret cryptocurrency mining farm from my living room.

According to them, I keep “overutilizing” my unlimited broadband.

Unlimited, of course, in the same way a buffet is unlimited until someone decides you chew too aggressively.

So last month, because I briefly experienced one rare month of peace, I upgraded my plan from ₹589 to ₹943.

A bold move.
A foolish move.
A financially educational move.

And then exactly 7 days later…

Poof.

Speed gone.

I called customer care.

Their response?
“Sir, you have exhausted your 3.3TB data.”

Now let me explain my ultra-dangerous setup:

• 3 phones
• 1 laptop
• 2 TVs (used less than my will to call Airtel support)
• 1 camera
• 1 desktop that is basically decorative furniture

This is not a tech park.
This is a normal household.

So I did what Airtel’s backend team apparently does not:
Math.

A 1.5GB mobile pack under extreme abuse (reels addiction + YouTube + doomscrolling) lasts around 4–5 hours.

Now Airtel says I consumed 3,300GB.

To finish that much data, even at absurdly high broadband usage, my family would need to:

• Watch Netflix on multiple TVs
• Scroll Instagram reels like it is a government job
• Code continuously
• Stream videos
• Possibly contact aliens

For nearly 59 hours per day.

Yes.

59 hours.
In one 24-hour day.

Airtel has officially discovered time travel.

Either:

1. My house exists in multiple dimensions,
2. Airtel thinks I do not understand numbers, or
3. My Wi-Fi is being used by the Avengers.

Every complaint gets the same magical line:
“Our backend team will contact you within 4 hours.”

These 4 hours, however, are measured in Airtel Standard Time — a mysterious timeline where accountability does not exist.

At this point, I do not need customer support.
I need:

• A data leak investigation
• A Netflix documentary
• Or NASA to verify whether my router is powering satellites

“Unlimited internet” should not feel like a magician’s trick where your data disappears, and everyone acts surprised.

So thank you, Airtel.

Not for the internet,
but for teaching me that in India, even terabytes can vanish faster than customer care promises.

I am now preparing to switch ISPs before Airtel informs me that I somehow consumed the internet reserves of South Asia overnight.

I have been trying to use the help menu and I just can't get any help or reach to an actual help assistant. Any tips?