Diwali is the one time of year when almost every household in India expects an offer. For a broadband ISP, it is a chance to lock in long renewals, bring back customers who left, and sign up new homes before the year ends. The best festive offers are simple to explain, easy to run in your billing system, and do not cut so deep that they hurt your margins for the rest of the year. Here are 10 Diwali offer ideas for broadband customers, with how each one works, an example, and what to watch out for.
10 Diwali offer ideas for broadband customers
1. Pay for longer, get extra months free
Example: “Pay for 6 months, get 1 month free” or “Pay for 12 months, get 2 months free”.
This is the most useful Diwali offer for an ISP. You collect several months of payment upfront, and the subscriber is unlikely to switch provider for the rest of the year. Customers like it because the free months feel like a gift, not a price cut.
Watch out: 6 + 1 free is an effective discount of about 14% (1 free month out of 7), and so is 12 + 2. If that is too much, 12 + 1 is about 8%.
2. Renew early, get bonus days
Example: “Renew before Diwali and get 7 extra days.”
Many subscribers have plans expiring in November. Rewarding them for renewing early brings cash in before the festive rush and reduces the number of people who forget to renew during the holidays. It costs you only a few days of service.
3. Festive speed boost
Example: “Double speed on your current plan from Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj.”
Families are at home, watching movies and video-calling relatives. A temporary speed upgrade on existing plans is a gift that every subscriber notices, and many ISPs find that some customers do not want to go back to the lower speed afterwards, which opens an upgrade conversation.
Watch out: Check your upstream bandwidth first. A speed boost during peak festive hours can slow everyone down if you are already near capacity. Use speed profiles in RADIUS so the boost starts and ends automatically.
4. Upgrade at today’s price
Example: “Move from 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps and keep paying your current price for 3 months.”
This moves subscribers to higher plans without a big jump in their bill. After the offer period, they pay the normal price of the new plan. It works especially well on fibre networks, where you have spare capacity on the line.
5. Zero installation charge for new connections
Example: “Free installation on new connections booked this Diwali.”
The installation fee is often what stops a family from switching. Waiving it for a few weeks can bring a rush of new connections, especially in areas where your network is already built.
Watch out: Installation fees often cover the ONT or router. If you waive the fee, ask for a minimum plan length, such as 3 or 6 months prepaid, so you recover the equipment cost. If you need to plan equipment costs, see FTTH for ISPs.
6. Refer a friend, both get free days
Example: “Refer a neighbour. When they connect, you both get 15 days free.”
Word of mouth is the cheapest marketing for a local ISP, and Diwali is when neighbours visit each other. A two-sided reward makes the existing customer comfortable recommending you, because the friend also gains.
Watch out: Give the reward only after the new connection is installed and paid, and record which subscriber referred whom.
7. Society and neighbourhood offer
Example: “If 10 homes in your society connect this month, every home gets one month free.”
Group offers help you fill a building or a lane quickly, which lowers your installation cost per home. Talk to the society’s resident welfare association; many are happy to share an offer that benefits all residents.
8. Welcome-back offer for old customers
Example: “We miss you. Reconnect before Diwali and get your first month at half price.”
Your list of expired subscribers is a ready audience. They already know your service, the line may still be in place, and some left only because of a missed payment. A festive message with a simple reason to come back can bring a good share of them back.
Watch out: Clear any old dues first, or roll them into the offer, so returning customers start with a clean account. For more on dues, see how ISPs collect broadband dues on time.
9. Small discount for paying online
Example: “Get ₹50 off when you renew online by UPI this Diwali.”
During the festive season, collection agents are busy and many people travel. A small online-payment discount moves subscribers from cash to UPI, which saves collection effort and reduces cash handling. Once they pay online once, many keep doing it.
10. Wi-Fi upgrade offer
Example: “Upgrade to a dual-band Wi-Fi router at a special festive price, free with a 12-month plan.”
Many “slow internet” complaints are really weak Wi-Fi in a large home. A better router improves the experience, reduces complaints, and gives you a natural reason to sell a longer plan.
Watch out: Keep the router model the same across customers so your technicians can support it easily, and record the serial number against the subscriber.
Bonus idea: if you already have OTT or IPTV partnerships, a festive bundle with a streaming subscription can work well. Only promise what your agreements allow.
Which Diwali offer suits your ISP?
| Your goal | Best offers |
|---|---|
| Bring cash in and reduce churn | Pay for longer, get months free; renew early, get bonus days |
| Get new connections | Zero installation; refer a friend; society offer |
| Increase average revenue per user | Upgrade at today’s price; festive speed boost; Wi-Fi upgrade |
| Win back lost customers | Welcome-back offer |
| Move collections online | Discount for paying online |
Pick two or three offers, not all ten. Too many offers confuse customers and your own team.
How to run a Diwali offer without confusion
- Write the rules down. Who qualifies, which plans, start and end dates, and what the customer gets.
- Set it up in your billing system as a plan or offer with its own price, validity and end date, instead of editing bills by hand.
- Make sure invoices are correct. Discounts and free months should show clearly on the GST invoice. Ask your CA how to treat free days and discounts. See why manual GST invoicing breaks.
- Brief your team. Collection agents, support staff and franchise partners should all quote the same offer. See managing franchise and LCO partners.
- Announce it a week or two before Diwali and send a reminder a few days before the offer ends.
- Measure the result. Count renewals, new connections and returning customers during the offer, and compare with the same period last year.
Promote your offer the right way
- SMS: promotional SMS in India must use a DLT-registered header and an approved template, go only to numbers that have not blocked promotions on DND, and be sent during the allowed hours (generally 10 AM to 9 PM). Register your Diwali template well before the festival, because approvals can take time.
- WhatsApp: send offers only to subscribers who have agreed to receive messages from you, using an approved marketing template on the WhatsApp Business API.
- Customer portal and app: show the offer as a banner where subscribers check their plan and pay.
- On the ground: posters in societies, a note from your technicians, and your collection agents’ word of mouth.
Sample offer messages
- “Happy Diwali from {ISP name}! Pay for 6 months and get 1 month FREE. Offer valid till {date}. Renew now: {link}”
- “Renew your {plan} plan before Diwali and get 7 bonus days. Pay here: {link} – {ISP name}”
- “We miss you! Reconnect your broadband before {date} and get your first month at half price. Call {number} – {ISP name}”
Adjust the wording to match your approved DLT templates.
Mistakes to avoid
- Discounts so deep that the offer price becomes what customers expect every month
- No end date, so the “Diwali offer” is still running in February
- Offers given by hand by staff or partners, with no record of who got what
- Speed boosts without checking bandwidth, leading to slow speeds for everyone
- Forgetting existing customers while giving all the benefits to new ones
Run festive offers with ISPMate
ISPMate is cloud-based ISP billing software for internet service providers in India. It helps you run Diwali offers without manual work:
- Create festive plans with their own price, validity and GST, and stop them on a fixed date
- Apply speed changes through RADIUS profiles, with automatic suspension on expiry and reconnection on payment
- Send renewal reminders by SMS, and WhatsApp through ISPMate’s QuickMessage platform
- Let subscribers pay by UPI, card or net banking, with each payment recorded automatically
- Track new connection leads from enquiry to installation
- See renewals, new connections and collections in reports, so you know which offer worked
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Diwali offer for broadband customers?
Long-validity offers such as “pay for 6 months, get 1 month free” work well for most ISPs, because they bring cash in upfront and keep customers for the rest of the year. Zero installation charges and referral rewards work well for getting new connections.
When should an ISP start its Diwali offer?
Announce the offer one to two weeks before Diwali and keep it running until a few days after, such as Bhai Dooj. Register SMS templates on DLT well before the launch, because approvals can take time.
How much discount should an ISP give at Diwali?
A practical range is an effective discount of about 8% to 15%. For example, 12 months plus 1 free is about 8%, and 6 months plus 1 free is about 14%. Free days, speed boosts and waived installation can feel generous without a large price cut.
Can an ISP send Diwali offers on WhatsApp?
Yes, to subscribers who have agreed to receive messages, using approved marketing templates on the WhatsApp Business API. Bulk messages from personal numbers or unofficial tools risk the number being banned.
How do I know if my Diwali offer worked?
Compare renewals, new connections, returning customers and online payments during the offer with the same period last year, and check how many offer customers renew after the offer ends.
Planning your festive offers? Book a free ISPMate demo or call +91-9310313545.