I’ve been using BSNL’s DataOne broadband service for last 8 months. I’m writing this review based on my own and my friends experiences. I initially applied for the DataOne Home 250 plan, the connection was installed at my home(in Kanpur) in 7-8 days(which is very good by BSNL standard). Later I changed to Home 500 plan(it took 5 days) and i’m using Home500 plan since then.
Before proceeding I want to clarify that DataOne service is available across India and it’s quality varies from place to place, you cannot expect to get the same service across India. I’ve talked to a lot of people(from various locations across India) and they had very different experiences.
Comparison with other Broadband services
*If you reside in a metropolitan city then there is a good chance that you will find a better broadband service, but if you reside in a small city DataOne is the way to go. Most of the private operators like Sify stc provide Broadband services through franchisees(and they have variable usage and installation charges depending on city and your location within the city), these franchisees lack proper infrastructure and technical expertise and tend to provide very bad service.
So always look for a ISP which provides you services directly e.g. Airtel, BSNL, Reliance etc
Connection Speed
BSNL provides an excellent speeds of 2mbps, however note this is maximum speed actual speeds are around 1500kbps, you can get healthy download speeds of 200KB/s plus.(for unlimited download plans the maximum speed is 256kbps only)
Reliability
Since the connection is provided through Landline connection it’s comparatively reliable. However if your application is critical and you require a dependable internet service then forget about DataOne. DataOne generally suffers from two kinds of faults(broad classification) "Line faults" and "Server faults". Line faluts are generally rare, in fact on some occasions i’ve found internet connection working even when my phone was dead or was unusable due to line disturbance. In case of DataOne server faults are more frequent. In one month on an average there will be 2-3 days in which you won’t be able to use your connection.
In rainy season your connection will become slow (due to line disturbance)
Customer Service
*We all know that BSNL has legendary service, just pray to god that you don’t need customer service. You will be satisfied with DataOne until everything goes fine.
*Connection Availability
*Earlier there was problem in getting DataOne connection but now since people getting their landlines disconnected and opting for mobiles etc. BSNL is leaving no stone unturned to provide you a new connection as fast as possible. On an average you will get your connection within 5-7 days(but don’t blame me if it takes 1 month:-), You must already have a BSNL B"Phone connection otherwise you will have to apply for that separately. You will have to take 1-2 rounds of BSNL office for applying(while other&ISPs will do this for just a phone call).
Initial Investment
You have to invest in a ADSL modem(Rs1200 for normal model, Rs1800 for a wireless model). Modem can be provided by BSNL or you can buy your own or you can get it from BSNL on Rs100/month rent. But unlike other operators you won’t have to pay to draw wires upto your home. If you have a Wi-Fi equipped Laptop or PC invest in 1800 modem, and you will be able to surf anywhere inside your home.
Installation charges: 500
Total: Rs1700
If you don’t have B’Phone you will have to invest in that too .
Billing
Earlier there were billing problem but now they have been smoothed out, refrain from exceeding your download limit.(for more details on various plans and download limits visit BSNL site https://bsnl.co.in). You can check your internet usage online at DataOne portal https://dataone.in.
*Value for money
*DataOne provides good value for money. For light use go for Home250 plan(Rs250/month) it has a monthly download limit of 1GB(sufficient for simple browsing). However Home500 plan provides best value for money, it has a monthly download limit of 2.5GB, plus free download from 2am-8am, it’s possible to schedule your heavy downloads, it will be able to download upto 700MB in one hour.
BSNL also provides an unlimited plan(Rs 900) but I don’t recommed that because you will have to stick with 256kbps.
*Technical Details:
*BSNL currently provides 2mbps speed which is 35 times faster than that of normal dial-up connection, about 16 times faster than that of ISDN connection
BSNL uses ADSL2 technology and can theoretically provide speeds upto 8mbps without any special equipemt. BSNL DataOne provides both dynamic and static IP. However the static IP is given only in Business 5000 and Business 9000 plans. It means that on Home250 /Home 500 plan you have dynamic IP, so-
You can download to your hearts content on Rapidshare, because you can change your IP address just by reconnecting.
You cannot host a website on your computer
You cannot run a SMTP server
Good for hacking(just kidding.)
Harder for hackers to get to your computer.
Contention Ratio:
To provide a cost effective service - all ADSL services are contended(shared). These contention ratios are applied in the backbone and international part of the network. A commonly applied contention rate is 50: 1. It basically means that ISPs assume that not all users will be using service silmultaneously. BSNL has better contention ratios compared to other ISPs. BSNL gaurantees only 256mbps, you’r able to get 2mbps due to spare capacity.
BSNL does not use firewalls or NAT at their end, so that you’ve got more freedom in using your connection but you must use your own Firewall(and activate hardware NAT on your MODEM). If you are an advanced user this is a very good facility.
Also note that both your upload and download are counted in data transfer. There is no way to measure data transfer from downloads and regular browser saparately(in fact technically they are same)