In a pioneering move, Bharti Airtel, today, announced its partnership with the quick commerce platform, Blinkit, for the delivery of SIM cards to its customers within ten minutes. A first-of-its-kind service by a telco, the services are now live in 16 cities in the country, with plans to add more cities and towns over a period of time.
This collaboration marks a significant milestone enabling, as it does, customers to receive SIM cards at their doorstep in a minimal 10 minutes at a nominal convenience fee of ₹49. Post the delivery of the SIM card, customers can activate the number using a simple activation process through Aadhaar-based KYC authentication. Customers will have the option to choose from both postpaid and prepaid plans or trigger an MNP for porting into the Airtel network. To streamline the process, customers can access the online link and view the activation video for a seamless activation experience.
Additionally, for all such activations, All Airtel customers have the option to access the help center through the Airtel Thanks App for any assistance they may need. New customers can contact support by calling 9810012345 if they require help. Post-delivery of the SIM card, it will be mandatory for customers to activate the SIM within a 15-day window to ensure a smooth and hassle-free transition.
Commenting on the partnership, Siddharth Sharma, CEO – Connected Homes and Director of Marketing, Bharti Airtel said; “Simplifying customer lives is central to everything we do at Airtel. Today we are thrilled to partner with Blinkit for 10-minute SIM card delivery to customers’ homes across 16 cities and in due course of time we plan to expand this partnership to additional cities.”
Albinder Dhindsa, Founder and CEO of Blinkit, said, “To save customers time and hassle, we’ve collaborated with Airtel to deliver SIM cards directly to customers in select cities, with delivery in just 10 minutes. Blinkit takes care of the delivery, while Airtel makes it easy for customers to complete self-KYC, activate their SIM, and choose between prepaid or postpaid plans. Customers can also opt for number portability, all at their convenience.”
In the initial phase of this launch, the SIM delivery service will be available across 16 major cities, including metropolises such as Delhi, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat, Ahmedabad, Surat, Chennai, Bhopal, Indore, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, Lucknow, Jaipur, Kolkata, and Hyderabad.