Direct to Home (DTH) operator Airtel Digital TV is now also allowing existing customers to avail its Xstream box proposition at Rs 1500 refundable security deposit provided they are eligible for it and have an Airtel Xstream Fiber connection.
The terms and conditions listings have seemingly gone live with a new update around 24th July, 4 days after DreamDTH initially broke the development. Back then, the terms and conditions didn’t have FAQs section which has now revealed the finer details of the offer.
Existing DTH consumers using Airtel’s HD or SD boxes can now also avail the offer provided they are a broadband consumer. The offer will be provided as an upgrade offer with the old box being taken away with Airtel and in turn being replaced with the new Xstream Box.
The Xstream Box proposition at Rs 1500 is currently being pitched to all new broadband customers on Rs 799 and above plans with Airtel promoting the offer on its broadband dedicated microsite through banners. It is also being pitched to current broadband customers. The offer can be availed for original as well as secondary connection with a maximum of 4 connections in addition to the original connection.
The box won’t be providing any OTT content, however, Airtel notes that all of its broadband customers today get some or all of Airtel Xstream Premium, ZEE5 Premium, and Amazon Prime subscription as part of their broadband connection.
The effective cost of the offer in terms of the contract will be Rs 1952 with the consumer needed to purchase a linear content pack of Rs 452 to activate the box. The secondary connection will however cost only Rs 360 with the NCF charges lower as well as per NTO 2.0 regulations, making the effective cost for secondary connection Rs 1800.
The Rs 452 pack from Airtel’s stable are high definition packs which has a good mix of GEC, Movies, News, Music, Kids and Infotainment channels with customers also getting mandatory DD channels and a set of 225+ Free to Air (FTA) channels as part of the package.
| Pack Name | SD Count | HD Count | Total Channels | Mandatory Channel | Free Channel | Total Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Sports and Kids plus HD pack | 81 | 24 | 105 | 31 | 237 | 373 |
| WB Freedom Sports and Kids plus HD pack | 76 | 25 | 101 | 31 | 237 | 369 |
| Guj Freedom Sports and Kids plus HD pack | 75 | 24 | 99 | 31 | 237 | 367 |
| Mah Freedom Sports and Kids plus HD pack | 72 | 27 | 99 | 31 | 237 | 367 |
| Oriya Freedom Sports and Kids plus HD pack | 72 | 24 | 96 | 31 | 237 | 364 |
| TN Freedom Sports and Kids plus HD pack | 51 | 28 | 79 | 31 | 237 | 347 |
| KER Freedom Sports and Kids plus HD pack | 51 | 38 | 89 | 31 | 237 | 357 |
| KAR Freedom Sports and Kids plus HD pack | 53 | 25 | 78 | 31 | 237 | 346 |
| AP Freedom Sports and Kids plus HD pack | 66 | 31 | 97 | 31 | 237 | 365 |
The URL slug of the pack list image indicates that the terms and conditions page was updated on 24th July or later. Airtel customers can change the plan of their choice anytime through the Airtel Thanks app, Xstream app, TV app, local retailer, or through the call center.
Airtel states that it has an exciting lineup of plans starting at as low as Rs 199 per month for Xstream Box customers who just wants to primarily watch OTT content and not linear content. The minimal cost for the Xstream Box to be active for usage is Rs 153 per month which will provide you 225+ free channels along with the mandatory DD channels.
The expansion of the Xstream Box proposition at Rs 1500 refundable security deposit is an attempt to cross-sell Airtel’s hybrid STB to its broadband customers.
