BSNL Unlimited (CDMA -144 kbps) Internet for Rs.250 Per Month

[din]

EDIT -

1.Please see my post in page 2 for the data card experience

2. Have a look at - http://www.bsnldatacard.com too - the un-official website of BSNL Data Card.

Updates - July 2 2009

1. BSNL offers roaming facility on PCMCIA type of NIC/EVDO cards.

2. Promotional Offe - BSNL reduces the sale price of PCMCIA type of NIC and EVDO cards to Rs. 1680/- and Rs 2100/- respectively.

BSNL is going to launch Data Services on CDMA 2000 IX by using BSNL Internet Connect Card (ICC).

BSNL has decided to launch its Data Services on CDMA 2000 IX by using BSNL Internet Connect Card (ICC). The CDMA IX ICC will provide Internet Service @144kbps to computer users on their laptops as well as on desktops. This service will be available in all those locations wherever CDMA IX MSC based coverage is there. However, during roaming the said Internet connectivity will not work at present. The following two types of data Cards will be available for BSNL customers:

(A) Network Interface Card (NIC) : For internet speed up to 144 Kbps.

(B) EVDO Card : Internet speed up to 2.4 Mbps*

Source - http://www.bsnl.co.in/newsdetailed.php?news_id=370

I am using the Reliance data card at present, with the unlimited internet option - Rs.1500 per month.

I will be going to the BSNL DGM office tomorrow to see the BSNL ICC (similar to reliance data card) performance.

I will test it and will post the experience tomorrow.

[Sukhdeep Singh]

Very nice offer.....

[goobimama]

Can I use this card on my PC? Its a regular dibba....

[Choto Cheeta]

The Service here at Kolkata running at Selected area like Rajarhat, where BSNL is providing the 144 kbps plan with its FWP sets...

but this is the 1st time they are going PCMCIA card based service like Reliance / TATA !!!

Originally Posted by goobimama

Can I use this card on my PC? Its a regular dibba....

The Card most likely to b in PCMCIA now regular Dibba would not have a PCMCIA expanson slot !!!!

how ever ur Lappy will i guess ??

[Charan]

Thanks a lot din for the info .. Waiting for your review. I wish to hear good news from your side.

[Ihatemyself]

144 kb/s Like hell (But boon for Dial-up users pity on them)

[Choto Cheeta]

OK. went through the new article,



EVDO Card : Internet speed up to 2.4 Mbps*
Activation Charges => 250.00
Internet connect Card Sale Price => 6500.00
Fixed Monthly Charges => 250.00
Free Internet Usage => Unlimited

*(Tariff for CDMA EVDO card for speed up to 2.4 mbps will be intimated later, after installation of CDMA EVDO system).

[Charan]

Yea me too waithing to see how EVDO performs .

[Tech.Masti]

BSNL tells that we can use it with PC also....... Offer is good but i have doubt with their service and CC
BTW, Reliance/Tata data card unlimited charge is too high......

[Choto Cheeta]

@Tech.Masti

Telephone Bhavan
34 B.B.D BAG

Just near to the RAJ Bhaban at Great Eastern Side

The item is suppoose to be at publick display there !! u go near there some time ?? take a look at that one there

[din]

Originally Posted by goobimama

Can I use this card on my PC? Its a regular dibba....

Good question lol and Answer is - YES !!

The card is PCMCIA, yes, it is meant for laptops actually, but you can use it in PC

How ? - You need a PCMCIA -> PCI card adapter

Cost - Rs.1600 when I purchased it, I think it came down now.

I use that in PC and when I travel I just take the card out (pcmcia, not the adpater) and use it in laptop.

Using it in the PC for the last 10 months or so, working perfect.

Originally Posted by Ihatemyself

144 kb/s Like hell (But boon for Dial-up users pity on them)

Yes, you are right. It is good for people where there is no other alternative (like rural areas).

Also, reliance charge Rs.1500 +tax for the same thing ! (BSNL charge is Rs.250). So if BSNL ICC works atleast same as reliance card, that will save a lot of money.

EVDO, they are planning on selected exchanges, may be they will expand it in future, but when it come to reality, it will be too cool, as it will be like broadband - on the move, without relying on any hot-spots.

Well, will have to wait and see ...

[Josan]

Can any body tell me that what will be the actual data tranfrer rate,10kbs/20kbps or more?

[Choto Cheeta]

in real time expect around 10 to 15 kbps of download rate !!!

[din]

Originally Posted by Josan

Can any body tell me that what will be the actual data tranfrer rate,10kbs/20kbps or more?

For Relaince card, I get 80 - 100 kbps max

For BSNL, wait till tomo

[QwertyManiac]

@Josan - Theoretically, 2.4 Mbps would give 307 KBps. Practically, or more specific, BSNL-ically, it should be around half of that.

@Din - Hey, you got your broadband connection by now? Last time I saw your site, it was pulled down by yourself.

[din]

Originally Posted by QwertyManiac

@Din - Hey, you got your broadband connection by now? Last time I saw your site, it pulled down by yourself.

Man, don't remind me all those lol

I never got BB evenafter the big n long fight.

I gave up coz of two reason

1 and main reason - No use fighting with them

2. Some other people wer misusing the website !

[sandeepk]

Reliance does not give more than 9-10KBps for my friend who is using it for last 3 months. (It came with 3 months free subscription with the laptop he purchased) About Tata it around 14KBps here in Pune. But both of these have a very high rates for browsing.
So for BSNL we can expect 11-12 KBps will be a good deal for unlimited internet usage at only 250 Rs.

[Tech.Masti]

Originally Posted by Choto Cheeta

@Tech.Masti

Telephone Bhavan
34 B.B.D BAG

Just near to the RAJ Bhaban at Great Eastern Side

The item is suppoose to be at publick display there !! u go near there some time ?? take a look at that one there

when?? any idea??

[Choto Cheeta]

If they have put it in, then it would be there Any time !!! from 10.30 AM upto 4 PM i guess....

as I saw the Rajarhat FWP project on display at their office (GM North) @ 10P New CIT Road at Central, near Poddar Court !!!

[gary4gar]

if there any list where i can see in which cities its available?

[Quiz_Master]

I know the news from as back as Febuary... as my uncle is SDO in BSNL office.
The good thing is its going to available in my town too.
So here is what I think about it.

900 for unlimited plan - speed 256 kbps. (Using Modem)
250 for unlimited plan - speed 144 kbps. (Using this card, abt which we all
are talking)

I will switch to card. as this seeem much less expensive to me.

[sachin_kothari]

even i will switch to this card.
900 + tax every month is simply too much.

[sabret00the]

holy crap..somebody tell me this is not true...B S N L?My Gawd........wow

[Sourabh]

This is nice. I never expected a glimpse of 1x-EVDO in India anytime soon. Can't blame anyone, Reliance and TATA are the only CDMA providers in the country, and all they did was nothing. If there is anything they try for, it'd be providing ultra cheap phones with poor quality trying to work in their dull network connection.

I hope they roll out PCMCIA, ExpressCard and USB solutions. Well, at least the first two. I can't wait for this service, I want it now! The charges for the service, the option to get the adapter on rent and Unlimited BW makes me go wow...

[gary4gar]

has anyone here got a connection??
if yes then tell how are the speeds

[a_medico]

Originally Posted by Quiz_Master

I know the news from as back as Febuary... as my uncle is SDO in BSNL office.
The good thing is its going to available in my town too.
So here is what I think about it.

900 for unlimited plan - speed 256 kbps. (Using Modem)
250 for unlimited plan - speed 144 kbps. (Using this card, abt which we all
are talking)

I will switch to card. as this seeem much less expensive to me.

You cant compare both. For those who can afford, 900 unlimted plan is still the best bet.

CDMA connection (I have used reliance and Tata) have their own limitations. There are frequent disconnections (the signal strength keeps on changing). Downloading speed will be around 8 to 10 kbps (at 144kbps) which is nothing as compared to 30-32kbps you get with 900 plan.

CDMA is good if you are a frequent traveller and you dont download much. But if you are into heavy downloads, dataone connection rocks.

[din]

OK, I just came back from the DGM office and here is the update (hot update lol).

Special note : The DGM was very nice, hes a young gentleman and spent a lot of time for me, we together tested it.

It is a PCMCIA card, very similar to Reliance data card.

The practical / theoretical max speed will be 115 kbps and not 144 - atleast with the card we tested .

The speeds are good. Tested 3 times and was getting speeds like 89 / 95 / 100 and another thing I noticed is, download and upload speed are very close. Like when I tested using Reliance data card upload speed was always below download speed, like 80 and 48 like that. But for BSNL it was like 89 / 85 , 100 / 95 etc. again I couldn't test it for a long time, so it may vary.

The charge will be Rs.250 for unlimited internet access, but the Officer was not sure whether we have to select any voice plan with that, mostly we will have to, so total may become Rs.400 per month.

This is best suited for people like me (if it work perfect) as I am spending Rs.1500+tax per month for the same thing now (Reliance data card unlimited internet connection cost that much).

Installation is not very easy, but not that difficult too. Just installing two softwares (one for the card and another for configuring the telephone number etc) and configuring.

The card is issued only to the BSNL officials now and it is not avilable for the public now, but they will put press notes and it will be available for the public soon, mostly from next week itself I think.

There is confusion with the roaming (by roaming I meant travelling inside a telepone circle, not using it in different states). The number is a WLL number, that is like a local telephone number and not a mobile number. So not sure whether it can be used out of that area (out of that particular STD code area) .However BSNL mentioned that there will not be roaming facility - for the time being. Reliance data card is connected with a mobile number, so we can use it anywhere in the state and Reliance card support roaming too, so we can use it anywhere in India (just comparing the two, but not much info from BSNL yet on this).



@Quiz_Master - Please post the latest news in Digit forum when you hear it from your uncle, we all at digit forum really appreciate it as we will know BSNL news before they publish it officially.

@a_medico - Partly true. People should select depending on their need. If they are at home / office most of the time, then BB is the best option for them for sure. But people for whom there is no other alternative (like remote areas) or travelling a lot, data card will be a nice option.

@a_medico again - frequent disconnections that you mentioned, is only while we travel. If you use it at home/office, there will not be any problem. When you cross coverage areas, it will be like your connection become idle or it get disconnected. I am using Reliance data card for quite a long time and didn't face any issues till today (of course you need good coverage). I remember travelling from Mangalore to Goa 4-5 months back, the train had power outlet for laptop and I could stay online continuously for about 2 hrs !! May be Relaince coverage very good in that area.

@gary4gar - Wherever there is CDMA coverage, you can use the card. But for the EVDO (the cards are not available yet, they are in the process of installing EVDO system), not all exchanges are selected now. For example, in Alappuzha district, Kerala, they selected only 3 excahnges for the EVDO.

Anyway both the things (ICC and EVDO) are great considering it is from BSNL.

[Sourabh]

Thanks for the updates, din. I hope they roll out ExpressCard based adapter soon.

[Garbage]

But can they provide these cards in Rural areas (like me ) ???

If yes, then pretty thanx to BSNL

[niceboy]

i agree with u shirish.. i think we have to wait a lot to get in our towns.