Making Sense of Mobile Tariffs in Bangalore.

obile phones are a bare necessity these days, no matter where you go. If you have access to a smartphone, it is even better.

However, if you are used to 'all-you-can-eat' mobile plans as in the US, for example, it will take some sorting out to make the best out of the mobile plans in Bangalore, and perhaps in India.

A year ago, in June 2013, I got a SIM card for my then phone, an iPhone 4. Since I spent only a few days during that visit, I didn't pay attention to how the mobile tariffs worked, even though I was somewhat aware of the myriads of options, and settled for the Full Talktime options my bank provided.

It turns out that the options can be indeed mind-boggling. Just take a look at this Airtel example for Easy Recharge options for prepaid phones online in the Karnataka region. Yes — that's right — there are upwards of 60 Easy Recharge options from which to choose.

Primarily, if you determine the duration of your stay, you can maximize the mobile value by choosing additional options for Calls — Subscriber Trunk Dialing (STD) with or without roaming, International Subscriber Dialing (ISD), etc. — SMS, Internet access.

Airtel calls these options as packs.

So, you have to buy the packs in addition to the Full Talktimes, if you want to play the mobile usage optimization game.