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| Thursday, March 19, 2009 |
| BSNL 3G DataCard - Review |
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 The battle for Wireless broadband intensified as BSNL now has a competitor - Reliance. We review the BSNL 3G USB interface DataCards for HSDPA [a 3G service]. Kindly note that 3G calling and Voice services has been withdrawn in certain circles until the security equipments are deployed. 3G / EVDO broadband / data services is not related to the same issue.
The picture on your left is the DataCard that you will plug into your system to access 3G broadband. Ideal Data transfer limits using this card are 3.6 Mbps Download and 384 Kbps Upload. The data card supports Windows 2000/XP/Vista and also Mac but not Linux. Additional support for VAS such as in-built phone book for contacts management as well as SMS facilities including Group SMS.
BSNL 3G broadband services is currently available in 11 cities and will cost you Rs 3,000 for Unlimited Plan.
Update:
The cost of MMX 300G DataCard is INR 3801.00. |
Published on Thursday, March 19, 2009 at 10:40 AM  |
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| Friday, March 13, 2009 |
| Reliance NetConnect Plus Tariffs + Plans |
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 We have obtained the Reliance NetConnect Boadband Tariffs and Plans made available to citizens of 35 cities. Here is the details about the same. All plans come with Nationwide roaming [i.e 35 cities currently]
- Pay as you go - Rs 299 Monthly Rental + Rs 2 / MB of Data Transfer
- Night Unlimited - Rs 499 Monthly Rental + Rs 0.50 / MB if used during the day [6 AM - 10PM]
- Broadband + 1 GB - Rs 650 Monthly Rental + 1 GB Free Download + Rs 2 / MB thereafter
- Broadband + 2.5 GB - Rs 850 Monthly Rental + 2.5 GB Free Download + Rs 2 / MB thereafter
- Broadband + 5 GB - Rs 1099 Monthly Rental + 5 GB Free Download + Rs 2 / MB thereafter
- Broadband + Citywide Unlimited Plan - Rs 1099 Monthly Rental + Unlimited data transfer [Kindly check, this is will have some restrictions] [No Nationwide roaming, limited to your city only]
- Broadband + Unlimited Plan - Rs 1,750 monthly rental + Unlimited data transfer [Kindly check, this is will have some restrictions on data transfer after certain Gigs, mostly 50 GB ]
- Unlimited Night Add on Pack - Rs 199 monthly rental + Unlimited data transfer
NOTE: Unlimited plans are not really unlimited. You will have certain limit on data usage / month. I think it is 10 GB / Month for Citywide Unlimited and 50 GB / Month for Nationwide Unlimited after which Rs 2 / MB will be charged. Kindly confirm before you sign-up.
After you avail the connection, Kindly do a Speedtest of your internet and please share your experience [ as comment below] using Reliance NetConnect Broadband Plus so that it will help other users to decide. |
| Published on Friday, March 13, 2009 at 4:39 PM |
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| Reliance NetConnect Cities + Coverage in Detail |
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We have obtained the list of cities where Reliance NetConnect Broadband Plus will be available within the next week. Wireless Broadband services over EVDO will be offered in 35 Indian cities and they are as follows.
- Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur
- Bangalore, Mysore
- Delhi NCR
- Chennai, Ernakulum, Salem, Tirupur, Erode, Coimbatore
- Hyderabad, Vizag, Guntur, Vijayawada, Rajamundry, Kakinada
- Thiruvanthapuram,
- Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Patiala
- Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Vapi
- Kolkata
- Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain
- Jaipur, Kota, Udaipur, Ajmer,
- Lucknow
Stay Tuned, I am getting the Network Maps of each city where this broadband Internet will be made accessible.
Update:
We have designed the Network Maps of Reliance NetConnect Data Card for all the 35 Indian cities where the service is launched. |
| Published on at 4:01 PM |
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| Thursday, March 12, 2009 |
| Reliance NetConnect on EVDO Technology |
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Reliance Communications has announced the launch of Reliance NetConnect Broadband using the Wireless EVDO technology using its underlying CDMA network. Only using this technology, Reliance Broadband will be able to touch a speed greater than 1 Mbps. We are highly skeptical if Reliance can deliver the speed that it has claimed - 1.8 Mbps to 3.1 Mbps [It is worth debating even if they can achieve this broadband speed in ideal conditions in their own test labs]
Our personal experience of Reliance Datacard for Internet access has been pathetic with mere 10 Kbps speed instead of the promised 128 Kbps.
Reliance already provides WiMax Broadband which has tasted little success due to technology bottlenecks. To push the NetConnect Wireless Broadband, Reliance has placed an order for 1 mn USB Modems with ZTE.
According to National Telecom Policy of 1999, Reliance NetConnect EVDo Broadband services is illegal said COAI Chairman, T .V Ramchandra.
If allowed (the EVDO services, which is a 3G service), would be a gross violation of all principles of level-playing field enshrined in, inter alia, NTP-99. It would also be violative of Articles 14, 19(1)(g) and 21 of the Constitution. Will the DoT, Ministry of Communications or TRAI intervene ?
Update:
Reliance NetConnect Broadband Plus' High End Tariff Rs 1,750 is also imposing a cap on UNLIMITED data transfer plans restricting it to 50 Gigs of Data Transfer after which you are likely to be charged extra.Labels: Reliance-Netconnect-EVDO-illegal |
| Published on Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 12:47 PM |
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| Friday, March 06, 2009 |
| Tata Indicom + Airtel Turn Hostile - Avoid |
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Bharti Airtel Broadband and Tata Indicom Broadband have turned hostile towards their broadband customers. They have silently introduced a cap on the Speed / Bandwidth that customers will enjoy under UNLIMITED Plans.
Airtel fixes the maximum rate of data transfer to a much lower speed once you exhaust the permitted [if you are subscribing to 1 Mbps broadband, after the initial 50 Gigs speed will be capped at 512 Kbps for the rest of the billing cycle].
Tata Indicom Broadband has gone a step ahead and openly say that,
reserves the right to suspend or terminate the customer's account immediately without prejudice to other rights available to TCISL under these Terms and Conditions.
We will fight against this injustice to Indian broadband users. Till then, we recommend you to AVOID Tata Indicom Broadband.
If you are planning to subscribe to Airtel's 256 Kbps Unlimited Broadband connection, please go ahead as there is no CAP in this. However, if you are willing to go for 512 Kbps or higher speed broadband connection, we recommend to AVOID Airtel and go with BSNL DataOne broadband.
Questions and Comments are Welcome. |
| Published on Friday, March 06, 2009 at 8:56 AM |
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| Tuesday, March 03, 2009 |
| TRAI fixes contention ratio 1:50 and 1:30 |
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Apex body Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued guidelines to the internet service providers (ISPs) and telecom operators to provide the minimum required broadband speed to their subscribers and fixed the contention ratio for broadband at home of 1:50 and for business at 1:30.
What is Contention Ratio ?
The contention ratio of 1:30 and 1:50 means that the same bandwidth would be used by 30 to 50 customers, who can share the same bandwidth to ensure that customers get better and higher broadband speeds.
Earlier, the contention ratio placed no restriction on operators and they were offering service at a contention ratio of 1:80 to 1:100. there are apprehensions that the move would cause to increase the broadband tariffs as operators will have to buy more bandwidth to maintain the new norms.
While TRAI is striving to improve the quality of Broadband for Indian consumers, Airtel Broadband has started limiting the speed on its Unlimited Data Transfer Plans which we think is il-legal and has sought clarification from TRAI. |
| Published on Tuesday, March 03, 2009 at 10:13 AM |
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