Airtel Quietly Introduces New 90-Day and 180-Day ODU 5G Packages

 

Airtel Kenya appears to be stepping up competition in the home internet market by introducing longer-term ODU subscriptions that reward customers who are willing to commit for several months at a time. 

The move comes as internet providers continue battling for customers in a market that has become increasingly competitive.

Just recently, I noticed the changes while renewing my 15Mbps Airtel ODU package through the *400# USSD menu, whereby Airtel has quietly added new long-term options for both its 15Mbps and 30Mbps plans, giving customers alternatives to the standard monthly subscription.

For the 15Mbps package, the regular plan remains available at KES 1,999 for 30 days, and Airtel has now added a 90-day option priced at KES 5,399 and a 180-day package costing KES 9,999.

On the other hand, the 30Mbps package also retains its standard monthly plan at KES 2,999 for 30 days. In addition, customers can now choose a 90-day subscription for KES 8,099 or a 180-day package for KES 14,999.

Airtel Kenya 5G ODU Multi-Month Package Comparison

Plan Speed	30-Day Cost	90-Day Cost (Savings)	180-Day Cost (Savings)
15 Mbps	Ksh 1,999	Ksh 5,399 (Save Ksh 598)	Ksh 9,999 (Save Ksh 1,995)
30 Mbps	Ksh 2,999	Ksh 8,099 (Save Ksh 898)	Ksh 14,999 (Save Ksh 2,995)

New Airtel Kenya 5G ODU Packages: The Multi-Month Discounts

The new plans suggest Airtel is increasingly focused on locking in customers for longer periods while offering savings compared to paying for the service month by month. 

For users who rely on home internet every day, longer subscriptions could provide a more cost-effective option while reducing the hassle of monthly renewals.

Looking at what Safaricom is currently offering, it's hard not to notice the gap in pricing.

Airtel's new long-term packages give subscribers more flexibility and, on paper, better value for money, especially for households that already know they'll need internet month after month, and at the moment, Safaricom doesn't have a direct equivalent that matches these prices over a 90-day or 180-day period.

Also, competition in the WIFI space lately has been very interesting with the introduction of new fibre players such as Savanna fibre, with insane packages, to Safaricom quietly boosting Fibre packages so as to retain users and keep up with the competition from other key players.

With these current upgrades from Airtel, I am sure Safaricom will do something to their 5G packages to counter Airtel very soon.

These new subscription options are currently available through Airtel's standard USSD menu. 

Customers can access them by dialing *400#, selecting Option 1: 5G Smart Connect, then choosing Smart Connect Unlimited Plans. 

After entering their account number, which is the Airtel number linked to the ODU, users can select their preferred package and view all available plans, including the newly introduced 90-day and 180-day options.

Read Also:  You Don’t Actually Own Airtel’s ODU Router, And Most Kenyans Don’t Know This

The 15Mbps Tier Breakdown

For the 15Mbps package plan, the KES 1,999 will run for 30 days as usual; the new plans, 15Mbps KES 5,399 and KES 9,999, will run for 90 days and 180 days consecutively, depending on which one you choose.

Let's do the math: if you are paying KES 1,999 for 30 days, in three months, that is KES 6,000; if you were to pay KES 5,399 for three months, you would save KES 600, and if you pay KES 9,999 for 180 days, you would save KES 1,995.

The 30Mbps Tier Breakdown

Now to the premium tier, 30 Mbps. The normal package goes for KES 2,999 for one month, and you will have spent KES 18,000 in 6 months. If you apply for the 90-day package, you will have saved yourself KES 900.

If you decide to pay KES 14,999 for 6 months, you will have saved KES 2,995. You are basically getting a whole month of the 30Mbps subscription for free, minus just the KES 4 shillings, of course.

This package is mostly for heavy users, remote workers, and 4k media consumers.

The 30Mbps is currently the sweet spot for most Kenyans home internet users in terms of price-to-performance.

Read Also: Airtel 5G Outdoor Unit vs. Safaricom 5G Router: Why I Switched

The Stealth Upgrade: A Massive 500GB Booster Package

Airtel also upgraded its booster package while still maintaining the price. Previously, Airtel was giving us a 300GB booster package if you deplete your 1TB data; now you get 500GB for the same KES 1,000.

Airtel advertises the ODU WI-FI as unlimited, but it’s not truly unlimited because there is a 1TB data cap as mentioned above.

Once you hit the 1TB cap, your speeds will be throttled to 2Mbps on both the 15Mbps package and the 30Mbps package.

If you want to restore the full speed, you can do so by purchasing the 500GB booster package for KES 1,000, but keep in mind it will expire on the day your main package was to expire; it won’t carry over to the next month.

This is a nice move by Airtel, by increasing the booster package, honestly, 4k streaming and heavy gaming became standard, and 300GB started to look weak. 500GB is a highly competitive response.

One thing I noticed with the booster pack is that, when you buy it from the app, you are getting 300GB, but when you use the UUSD code, you are getting 500GB, so I highly recommend using the USSD code.

Verdict: Is the Long-Term Airtel 5G Commitment Worth It?

At the end of the day, going for any of the long-term commitments might induce a bit of sticker shock at checkout, but the good thing is that the math firmly supports the commitment.

But before you decide to pay for any of the long-term packages, you must factor in the physical location of the Airtel ODU 5G router. You can check for the coverage on Airtel’s website, and this is because the ODU setup is very sensitive to its environment, as it relies on a clear line of sight to the nearest network booster.

I recommend not committing blindly, especially if you are a new customer; you should instead treat your first month as a probation period.

Purchase the standard 15Mbps for KES 1,999, the 30Mbps package for KES 2,999, and test the speeds during peak evening hours, and make sure to monitor the latency and ensure the line-of-sight remains unobstructed.

If it holds up really well for 30 days straight, you can go ahead and pull the trigger on the long-term commitment of your choice.

Conclusion

The End of Monthly Hassles: Airtel has officially introduced 90-day and 180-day ODU billing cycles directly via their USSD menu, allowing users to lock in their home internet rates and ignore the annoyance of monthly renewals.

Serious Long-Term Savings: Committing to the 180-day plans yields tangible financial benefits. You save Ksh 1,995 on the 15Mbps tier and Ksh 2,995 on the 30Mbps tier, essentially netting you a free month of internet when you pay upfront.

The 500GB Heavyweight Booster: The quiet but massive upgrade of the FUP booster package from 300GB to 500GB ensures that heavy users, remote workers, and 4K streamers have a substantial, competitively priced safety net once the standard 1TB data cap is hit.

At the end of the day, the 180-day 30Mbps plan is the absolute best value-for-money in the current Kenyan market, provided you stay in a place where there is a stable Airtel 4G/5G coverage zone.