I started with the Tata Indicomm Broadband in December 2005. In April 2006, I decided to switch to MTNL, and the lower cost was not the only factor. I am so glad that I switched. I would recommend every one to do so.
The Tata connection is marginally faster than MTNL and works well — when it works. In my four-month experience with Tata, the net was down for nearly 20-25 days. It would go off on a Friday and I would stay disconnected till Monday or Tuesday once every fortnight. I even began to suspect a controversy.
Worse still was the service. Speaking to the Tata Indicomm call centre was a waste of time. They promise you service within 24/48/72 hours (they know their 24 multiplication tables!) but that is the last you hear from them. The VSNL engineers, who are expected to follow up, don’t bother to return your calls nor did they go about their job of reconnecting you with any great urgency. The worst culprit was Vijay Shetty, their chief engineer. His team just followed his example.
The only help came from SITI, the last-mile connectors. Even people at SITI admitted that dealing with Tata was frustrating. Siti often responded quickly, but the breakdowns were too often and too many.
In comparison, MTNL has been wonderful. After three months I have no complaints. The net has been down only once due to a server failure on a Saturday. It was rectified within 24 hours.
What was heartening after the bitter Tata experience was the service. Within three hours of lodging the complaint, I had received three calls from MTNL asking about the problem and offering solutions. And after the problem was sorted out, I again got a call to know if things were okay.
Costwise, MTNL is 199 + taxes while Tata is 414 (inclusive). I recommend that you get your own Router (It costs around Rs 2200, effective cost Rs 1700) and save on the rents + taxes. I have heard people have had problems with MTNL routers.
MTNL is a winner!