Hello Friends,
After having the most horrible experience form one of the most respected and reliable name in India - The Tata, I switched over to BSNL data one.
There were various different options available like Airtel, Reliance, Idea (data card) and BSNL among many others.
The requirement was high end downloading with a standard speed and better reliability. Since my connection was getting expired with Tata indicom on 19 October 2008, I started digging information about the various ISP’s available and their prices and performances.
After reading many reviews on MS/speaking to many net cafe owners/ feedback from friends, it appeared that Airtel was the best and costlier than the rest. Reliance -as the name suggest is Unreliable and BSNL service is like driving a vehicle without insurance. A question might arise as to why I wnet for BNSL and not for any other ISP.
The reason is that, I stay in Pune in a rented house and use BSNL Phone (BFONE) and pay Rs.360 as rental for two months, just to get a bill which is the best document to be used as an address proof. (People on rent would agree to this). Once visited the nearby telephone exchange to pay the monthly phone bill and came to know that if I use BNSL internet services, then the bi monthly rental i.e. Rs.360 levied on the phone shall be waived!!! Thus filled the form on 20 October 2008. The plan that I selected is UL plus 256 kbps Rs. 750 Unlimited plan. (Also got the modem from BSNL itself @ Rs.1200 Type I. You can rent it though @ Rs.60 p.m ) The modem that you buy from BSNL is far better than any modem available in the market. I confirmed it from many Net café owners and friends who use it. Again it comes with 1 year warranty. But here is the catch, if after one year anything goes wrong then there is no one to repair it or the GOVT. is not going to take it back either. Anywyas, we are loosing Rs.720 in paying rent, so the choice is completely yours.
I got the modem installed on 22 October 2008, in 2 days of application. I couldn’t believe that BSNL engineer was at the door with a brand new Modem. He confirmed that the services shall resume in 7 days. After 4 days from the day of application and 2 days later after the modem got installed, I enquired the regional office about the status of the application. They called me up and gave me the login id and password and BINGO the net Started ON on 28 October 2008. Within 8 days the system saw its Google page from the Govt. served internet services – Just Amazing!!!
The reason that BSNL can give connection so soon is that the internet that they provide is through the already set telephone lines. It means that they just have to install the modem (If you opt it from BSNL) and set up your static id and you are all done. Since the net is served from the telephone lines it implies that you have a dedicated line and no one is sharing it. So be sure about the speed at any time during the day or night. I am mentioning the day/night time since Tata/Reliance or any private firm shut down some of their servers in the night time and on it in the morning at around 6 AM. Thus you won’t experience a very high speed in the night time as well. This is not the case with BSNL atleast what I know till now.
I am using BSNL internet services from almost a month and have not faced any major problem as far as the connectivity is concerned. The speed is good and reliable. May be they have focused on the customer care and have raised some standard at least in Pune or may be the infrastructure that they have is superios or unmatchable. I have even heard that their BSNL EVDO services are also doing fine in Pune. Hope they maintain it. Planning to go for EVDO, when I shall have a Laptop!!!
Something negative about their services:
If your net is working then it is fine and if unfortunately it goes down then bare in mind that BSNL has almost no customer care. They have 2 nos. for the whole Pune and even after trying for the whole day it is extremely difficult to reach these technical people. So you should have some "Pehchaan" with these people and be in touch with some local net cafe engineer who can resolve some petty issues for you as and when they arrive. To add to it, it is advisable to learn some gimmicks of the internet world and try to settle issues yourselves.
Shifting may create havoc. You should remember that it’s the same old Govt. organization we know about. So pre plan your shifting and have some patience and keep visiting their offices regularly to track your transfer status.
If you generate a complaint, then don’t expect any call on your mobile number for the resolution. The reason it that BSNL is not authorized to call any mobile numbers to rectify the error. So you have to be close to your phone to get any resolution.
Despite several problems I can still recommend BSNL services since their billing is way too transparent and since they are service providers from the GOVT. they are not greedy like the private companies. The plans are reasonable and are monies worth…….
Finally I can say, BSNL Best hai Mere Liye
Please share your experiences with this service provider in the comments section.
Take care.