VSNL is undoubtedly the best Internet Service Provider (ISP), atleast as of now, because they have the best infrastructure in place to provide you - an internet surfer - with a good experience each time you log on to the internet.
Having a VSNL dial up account allows you to log on to the internet through a phone line itself, thus saving you the cost of any other hardware that other type of ISP’s may require - cable modem etc. When you sign up with VSNL, you are paying them only around Rs.8 an hour for surfing and to your phone company for the time the phone was in use when you had kept the internet connection on. VSNL’s charges are only pay per use - thus, if you have only limited need for using the internet - VSNL dial up service is meant for you. Further, VSNL allows free surfing from 11:00 PM to 8 AM and all of Sundays on some of its packages and this allows you to surf for free during those times. You will however have to pay for use of the phone line you had used to establish the internet connection.
The second aspect of VSNL’s service is bandwidth and they have good, if not the best bandwidth, among all ISP’s. Most times you establish a dial-up connection through VSNL’s network, you will be able to send and receive email fast and also visit websites and download information from websites at good speed.
VSNL allows its Dial Up Service members the use of webmail. This facility allows users to access their email accounts on the world wide web itself from anywhere in the world. They also provide protection of your user account from tampering or misuse by someone else, through one of their security features.
VSNL, a monopoly for long, and considered a typical PSU is changing, slowly but surely and for the better. They have been sending interesting newsletters to their Dial Up connection users for more than a year now. They also have help desk services which do provide assistance in case you have problems logging on, receiving mail etc. They now even allow you to renew your account online through credit card payment. All other ISP’s too offer all these services - but at present only VSNL has a nation wide network - which other ISP’s will take time to establish.
The acquisition of a stake in VSNL by the TATA’s should improve the customer service significantly and then VSNL will be a good, customer oriented, service provider.