Facts go first.
Duration:* Triband User for 3 years.
Plan: *Night Unlimited(Monthly download limit: 1 GB, Unlimited data Transfer: 12 pm to 8 am) costs Rs. 590/-
Location: *Mumbai - Western Suburb
Router Ownership: *MTNL(pay Rs. 70/month extra)
New Connection:
I applied through paper form at my nearest exchange. They also have facility to apply over phone/online.
Installation:
I received the call for installation within two weeks after I applied. The wire installation was done by 3 people over two-three days. So, the connection was up and running only after three weeks or so. They charge Rs.2000/- for installation if you get a router from MTNL. But there is a long queue if you wait for MTNL to get you a router. Another option is that you buy the ADSL router from market(aprox Rs.2, 000) and only get the service from MTNL.(This was 3 years back. Things may have changed now, but not by much)
Experience:
After being stuck on Dial-up connection for all these years, DSL(read Broadband) experience was something I was looking for. Triband certainly did not disappoint!
I could actually surf the web unlike crawling the web on a dial-up. Peak download speed hovers around 26 KBps(notice the "capital B" in
KBps instead of "small b") Peak
upload speed is around 30 KBps(again "Capital B")
Billing:
No Tension! There has not been a single bill in all these years that has given me a problem. We can monitor the daily usage by time and data transfer online.
Customer Service:
Its slightly difficult to expect great customer service from a PSU but MTNL does a decent job. Whenever I had a problem a technician comes over the next day after the complaint is logged.
Connectivity:
There are times when you want to be online desperately and nothing seems to work. But those are days when nothing is going your way. Calling customer service doesn’t help in such cases. They would simply tell you basic things and send a technician home. But by the time the techinican comes, the connection is back to normal.
Tarrif Plans:
The tariff is slighly expensive when we compare it with internet connections dolled out by local cable operators. But DSL is a far superior technology in terms of reliability and speed. For download junkies like me, the night unlimited plan is just perfect. It costs Rs. 590 and gives unlimited download potential from 12 pm to 8 am. The biggest disadvantage of DSL is NO LAN.
**Note:**
Difference in KBps and Kbps
KBps: Kilo-Bytes per second
Kbps: Kilo-bites per second
1 Byte= 8 Bites
If someone advertises 256 Kbps, it means its equivalent to 256/8=32 KBps.
This is my first review on mouthshut.com. Do give feedback.