The Need For Speed
I’ve been emailing Airtel Broadband at care.tamilnadu@airteltelephone.com for about a month now asking them to change my broadband plan to the 512 kbps unlimited plan for Rs. 1500 per month (from the 256 unlimited plan at Rs. 1000 per month) but didn’t get a reply. Vijayalayan however got a reply after emailing the same address and had his plan changed immediately.
After postponing it for a long time I finally connected a phone to the Airtel phone line and called 42111213, the Airtel Broadband support line. The support guy informed me that the email address was now care.tamilnadu@airtel-broadband.com and told me to send the plan change request email to that address. Oh great…
Also it looks like the Airtel 256 kbps unlimited plan is now Rs. 750 a month. Eat that, BSNL users! We still have Fraudband but atleast it is improving in micro increments.
January 19th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Dude, believe me! Airtel isnt worth the money! Unlimited 512 kbps at 1.5K? Damn, thats too much dude! I have been having the Home 500 plan (2mbps!) of DataOne for over a year now, and I am content with it. Even everyone I know who has Home 900 plan (with 512kbps) is quite content with it!
So, what exactlty is your problem with using BSNL over AirTel?
January 19th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Airtel is completely worth the money.
Your ‘2 Mbps plan’ has a download limit! It is so pointless watching my bandwidth and putting downloads on at 2 AM (BSNL’s free download time) instead of being free and relaxed all the time with an unlimited plan.
And it’s only upto 2 Mbps which means that you don’t get that bandwidth guaranteed.
The Home 900 plan is 256 Kbps unlimited, not 512. And Airtel now offers that plan for Rs. 750.
My problem with BSNL is the non existent customer service, linemen who want bribes every time they come to your house and having to write letters and deliver them to BSNL head office every time I want my plan changed.
What is wrong with you? Without even using or knowing about Airtel you claim it is awesome. I used both and what we say is from experience, not crapping like you.
January 19th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I heard that 256 kbps unlimited for Rs. 750 is only a Pongal offer and will expire in a few days.
January 20th, 2008 at 12:35 am
Well all the more reason to sign up for it immediately. Once you are on a plan it will continue forever.
January 20th, 2008 at 3:16 am
Praveen: I’ve seen bad examples of BSNL. My friend’s 2mbps connection was slower than my Airtel 256kbps. Prices here are still way out of line though.
Marc: Can I switch to that Pongal offer? I don’t want to pay 150 bucks extra for having joined earlier. That makes no sense. Maybe they’ll discount us this month too?
January 20th, 2008 at 6:23 am
For 750 you only get 128kBps. Maybe for the festival time they might have increased it.
January 20th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
i still have my old 192kbps connection unlimited download at Rs. 800. why offer 192kbps??? i would switched to airtel long ago except that they don’t offer connections on my side of the street. they’d have to dig up the road and they’re rightly afraid to do it.
January 20th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
George, why didn’t you call them up already? It’s probably too late now.
Adithya, call their call center and see.
Hahahahaha, Suren is on YOU Telecom (former Iqara) which has won many awards for being the worst ISP in Chennai. 192 kbps! What kind of a retarded number is that?
January 20th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Well I have being trying to get home 750 plan for Magesh and called them up 6 times. They still haven’t turned up. Don’t know when their service got so bad.
January 20th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Laziness, dude. The last thing I want to do is talk to some Customer Care rep about my broadband plan right now. Horrible system, it should automatically choose the right plan. This is just pathetically inefficient. 21st Century indeed.
January 20th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
@Marc, “And it’s only upto 2 Mbps which means that you don’t get that bandwidth guaranteed”.
@George, “I’ve seen bad examples of BSNL. My friend’s 2mbps connection was slower than my Airtel 256kbps.”
Well, probably there are problems with it in areas where DataOne connections are of high concentrations… Here in Thoraipakkam, I have been enjoying 2mbps (Yes, I have seen it reach 2mbps, after all I use HooTech NetMeter to monitor this only), and people around this place, everyone is content with DataOne… Especially while downloading with Download Managers, the speed is a constant 1.9mbps!!!
January 20th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
You have a download limit! End of matter.
January 20th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
We are heavy users. And Ragha is much heavier.
January 20th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Come on dude! You cant expect them to give 2mbps unlimited connection!!! Then the Nation’s Bandwidth will be of utter chaos (atleast for a couple of years from now). As an Indian citizen, we can enjoy an awesome speed of 2mbps OR unlimited bandwidth at lesser connectivity speed. We’ll have to choose between them depending on one’s own requirements. Statistically, new BSNL DataOne Connections have certainly shot up within the last one year!
January 20th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
You’re the one who said BSNL was good. They are in no way good. Airtel has all the plans BSNL has and more. The only reason people get BSNL connections is because they already have BSNL landlines. That is the only reason. If they think BSNL’s plans are attractive, it shows their ignorance.
January 20th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
@Praveen: You are correct about the speed. In Saligramam it was very slow. In Anna Nagar it was super fast.
However, I disagree about having to choose speed or choose download limits. You can either do that and choose not to call yourself crap like Information Superpower, or you can call yourself such names and bloody well deliver megabit connectivity at a maximum of 1000 rupees for at least 20 GB of downloads. That sounds reasonable.
January 21st, 2008 at 2:32 am
i am planning for 750 at 256kbps . mostly i ll get it by this month end. These fellows booked me in commercial segment instead of residential segment, and when i called and asked them for unlimited they told me that u have to send a mail for segment change and then only u can apply for this feature. Atlast i had no other go. now waiting.
January 21st, 2008 at 5:25 pm
What is all this segment business? How did you manage to get into the commercial one?
January 21st, 2008 at 6:17 pm
I hear BT Broadband are hoping to provide fast connections globally over the next few years. Its sad to see the download speeds you have to tolerate.
January 21st, 2008 at 6:52 pm
It takes talent to end up paying for a business plan. Real talent. Atleast you get guaranteed minimum bandwidth.
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:23 am
Thanks for the condolences, Pasty Muncher.