FIRST REVIEW
This is my first review on Mouthshut.com and I am going to write it on the LINK which connects me to you and to the whole exciting world of internet.
PREVIOUS INTERNET EXPERIENCE
I am using internet from December 2000. At that time, there was nothing like Broadband Internet. At that time, Satyam Online was one of the best Dial-Up ISPs around. I used Satyam for about three years and after that I used MTNLs unlimited internet service. The surfing through the dial-up ISPs was a terrible experience (in comparison with todays BROADBAND).
BROADBAND!!! FINALLY
I finally decided to switch over to a broadband service. There are many ISPs who provide broadband service in Delhi: AirTel, Reliance, Tata Indicom, MTNL and Sify. But in my locality, only Sify has its services.
HOW I HOOKED ON TO SIFY
I had no choice but to call up the local Sify franchise (cable operator). To my surprise, I got the connection installed within 24 hours of making the call. This shows the spontaneity of the Sify people. The installation charges are fairly low: Rs.1000 if you already have a LAN card and Rs.1500 otherwise. I wanted to subscribe for a plan which provides me unlimited (in terms of time) access. So, I chose 48 Kbps Unlimited plan which costs Rs.450 per month.
THE TRAGEDY
But all was not rosy in my story. At the time of installation, the cable operator told me that there is no limit for data transfer for this plan. And I thought wow, this is really good. (There is no broadband service in India which provides unlimited time as well as data transfer. There is always a limit on either of them.) I believed him at that time and guess what happened...... I kept on downloading those heavy torrent files and recently, 5 days of validity were deducted from my account due to excessive usage.
I was completely shocked and immediately sent a complaint to the customer care. They replied after 2 days. And this is a very long period in terms of CUSTOMER CARE. They told me that there is a limit of 150 MB per day on data transfer and for every 150 MB of excess usage, my account validity will be reduced by 1 day. I said, OK. This was my mistake that I blindly trusted the Cable Operator.
SIFY BROADBAND SERVICES
SPEED: I am supposed to get a maximum speed of 48 Kbps (Kilo Bits Per Second). But you will be surprised to know, that I constantly get speeds between 96 Kbps and 130 Kbps. This is really rocking! Isnt it. I am getting the services worth Rs.995 (128 Kbps plan) in just Rs.450.
DOWNTIME: The downtime is almost nill. I am using this service for almost one and a half months and I had problems only twice and that too were resolved within minutes.
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE: Sify has provided every subscriber with a LICENSED copy of McAfee Antivirus Software which is really good.
CUSTOMER CARE: The customer care is useless if you face a problem at night (Thanks to GOD, I have not yet faced any problem at night). This is because there is no response at the cable operators end at night. And if you call the Sify Customer Care (24 hours), they will just transfer your query to the local cable operator. The problem will be solved only the next day. This was told to me by my friend who uses the same service.
AVAILABILITY IN ALMOST EVERY AREA: The penetration of Sify Braodband is almost in every area of Delhi and NCR. Sify has tied up with the local cable operators, that is why, it has managed to reach deep into the city. On the other hand, Reliance, AirTel, Tata Indicom and MTNL have covered only very few of the posh areas in Delhi.
Thats all about what I have experienced yet. I will be updating this review if there is something new. I hope this review was useful for you!
As you know I am a new writer on MouthShut.com, I need all your support and criticism to improve. I hope you will encourage me by rating the review and if possible please leave a comment.