New Delhi, Nov. 6 -- In a surprise reversal, Bharti Airtel Ltd. has brought back its Rs.299 entry-level prepaid plan, just months after having scrapped it in a bid to get customers to spend more. The move comes after the telecom operator saw a sharp slowdown in subscriber additions and a higher customer churn in the September quarter (Q2), underscoring the challenge of raising tariffs in India's price-sensitive mobile market when rivals stay put.

The Rs.299 plan is now back on the company website. There was no immediate response to Mint's emailed queries to Bharti Airtel on the development.

Airtel had in August withdrawn its Rs.299 plan that offered 1 gigabyte (GB) data a day, leaving customers with a Rs.349 option as the next cheapest,...