It was a rage a few years ago to join the Idea cell service. I joined the herd and was initially very happy with my decision. I was at first a pre paid customer. The coverage was very good and the facilities at par if not more thatn its competitors. Not that there where that many. It was a time when incoming calls were chargeable and STD calls prohibitive.
However, that was the norm then and was as such acceptable. The highway connectivity was amazing and roaming was not a issue for me then.
Lets zoom back to the present 2004. The connectivity exists more in the glossy advertisements and less ont he ground. Though, the city and road coverage remains excellent the lack of faclities provided is amazing. MMS and internet access in not an option for most people due its cost in this service. We are green with envy when a friend with Airtel connection flaunts his free MMS service and my top of the line mobile camera is just a useless tool cum toy. I have loads of pictures, songs and tunes and can only show them to someone when he is near. It is very aggravatibg.
To, add to the frustration the service provider propoganda keeps irritating. Post paid customers dont get any special benefit and instead have to make deposits for their STD and International call facilities.
The real issue here is that Idea has become reactive rather than active. Features like the 32K Sim card and balance on screen were introduced and promoted by other providers. Idea specific services like music messaging are abject failures and have no meanig or function. The roaming service is chaotic as the service providers in other states seem to give Idea customers a very low priority indeed. Airtel is almost omnipresent in comparison as it has now extended coverage to most states and its customers thus have to pay far less than us while roaming. Also activation initially of roaming can be a headache. If the credit limit is reached the service is terminated abruptly. This is a very serious issue which needs to be addresssed immidiately.
Idea has been in the news lately for the wrong reasons as its shareholders are getting out. There is an expansion planned let us see how it pans out. But, it would be my advice that halt for a while if you want to become a Idea subscriber and chose BSNL or Airtel if in Pune.