Vodafone Idea (Vi) has announced a new benefit for low-income group subscribers. It is offering free voice calling and data benefits for a limited period. The telecom provider says that the free offer is worth Rs. 75 and it is aimed at helping low-income group subscribers to stay connected as gradual state-wise unlocking efforts have commenced in India. Vi said that several prepaid subscribers were unable to recharge during the lockdown period, and this benefit gives them some breathing space.

The new benefit offers free Vi to Vi calling for 50 minutes, and 50MB of total data to subscribers. The validity for this benefit has been assigned for 15 days. This offer is available for prepaid users and is applicable to those who were unable to recharge during the lockdown. Calling it the Unlock 2.0 benefit, Vi asks subscribers to dial USSD Code 44475# to check for eligibility or call toll-free IVR 121153.

Vi will decide if the user is eligible and send an SMS with all the steps necessary to unlock the benefits worth Rs. 75. Alternatively, Vi subscribers can also visit the nearest retailer who will assist with the eligibility check and offer activation. Activation of this benefit will enable subscribers to then recharge with their preferred value recharge packs before the 15-day validity gets over.

In order to help low-income users, Vi last month made the Rs. 49 recharge pack available for free as a one-time offer. This plan included Rs. 38 talk time, 300MB data, and a validity of 28 days. Local/ national calls are charged at Rs. 0.25 per second. If a subscriber recharges through their app or website, then extra 200MB is offered as a benefit.

The telecom operator also introduced a new Combo Voucher RC79 offered double the talk time. The typical Rs. 79 combo recharge includes Rs. 64 talk time, 200MB data, and 28-day validity. The combo voucher came with Rs. 128 talk time, while the other aspects remained the same.