Airtel internet settings

Why is there no internet connection on my new Airtel Simcard?

I bought a new Airtel Simcard, registered it and slot it into my phone to make sure it was working and it was but I didn’t bother checking if the internet connection was working so I just removed the simcard and kept it safe in my purse waiting to finish my current data subscription before replacing it with my new Airtel simcard.

After about 5 days later, my data subscription on my current line finished, then I replaced it with my new Airtel simcard and noticed that the internet connection signal wasn’t showing. I restarted my phone to check if it will come on but to no avail it didn’t come on. I tried several other things I thought might help but couldn’t resolve it.

How I got to speak with an Airtel call agent 

If you use an Airtel network, and have tried calling 121 or 111 to speak with a customer care rep, you would have noticed how difficult it is to speak with one. They try to prevent you from speaking with an agent by assuming everything you would need has already been catered for through their numerous steps and options which you will be asked to choose from.

I tried more than 8 consecutive times until I finally found a way to speak with an agent. I dialled 111, next I dialled 1 for English, next I dialled 1 again to manage my line then finally I dialled 9 to transfer to an online agent.

Resolving the problem

After I answered several questions that the agent asked, he then said my line was barred because I didn’t make any calls within 48hrs after the sim was registered so he unbarred it but said I would need to switch off my phone then switch it on again to be able to connect to the internet. After I did that, I was able to connect to the internet and took a deep breath.