Originally Posted by
Bandicoot
Note that with the regulations issued some time back (2015?) even if you don't make a call or send a text every 3 months, the SIM should stay alive as long as you have a sufficient balance in the account to allow for a monthly charge (Rs 20?) to be deducted. The SIM is deactivated only when the balance falls below Rs 20. I have not tested this scenario, however.
I have. It works exactly as advertised. On the other hand, on Airtel, sending a SIM while roaming abroad triggers monthly Rs 99 'roaming rental' fees until the SIM next connects to an Indian cell, so this is more expensive.