BSNL has 38 million customers. It declared profits of 10, 000 crores.
It announced the much hyped One-India plan with a smiling idiot claiming “death of distance”;full page advertisements et al.
Someone must have been reading this blog where I trashed the idea of One India plan. It sounds great in theory but frankly, it works out to be very expensive in the long run.
As such, as the results are out, only 0.6% of BSNL’s customers have signed on. This is as per the estimates. The actual number may be far less. BSNL needs atleast 40% of the customer base to make it work. Yes, 40%.
Yeah Gods! Would someone just f***ing drill some sense in their brains? Or whatever version of hardware they carry on their necks?
The same argument can be extended on to broadband. There is no rush; equipment shortages has resulted in artificial scarcity. Further, the captive base is ready to leave it once greener pastures are in sight. I don’t see them around me as yet. However, I swear on whatever is above in the sky- I would be the first customer to leave them if and when I have an option.
Huge amounts of public funds are being wasted over to give some bragging rights. We are surely far away from the “Indian Telecom Dhamaka”. No one is rioting as yet; the NASSCOM claims ring hollow that it’s “literally raining Information Technolongy” in India; while India becomes a “back office space for the world (an euphemism for cyber coolies) we are glad to call that as an oppurtunity and assert our right on the world stage.
A computer here/ there or One India plan doesn’t make Indian Telecom happening. Service levels are all time low and there might be some hope that regulator might assert itself. While the gory Department of Telecom subsists on the dead corpses.
The same way the Marxists do.
When would we see some sanity?
The previous time I subscribed to a “broadband” service in 2003-4 (ZeeNext), I made the mistake of buying the modem. When I moved house, ZeeNext didn’t have any service in the area and didn’t take back the modem as well!
This time around, I’m wiser. I do have a BSNL DataOne connection (does that necessarily make me wise?!) but the modem is on a rental basis!
The previous time I subscribed to a “broadband” service in 2003-4 (ZeeNext), I made the mistake of buying the modem. When I moved house, ZeeNext didn’t have any service in the area and didn’t take back the modem as well!
This time around, I’m wiser. I do have a BSNL DataOne connection (does that necessarily make me wise?!) but the modem is on a rental basis!
True, even I opted for rental. Would love to junk it anyway.
True, even I opted for rental. Would love to junk it anyway.
Good points Abhishek, I was wondering if you could post a link to your previous refernce about why One India is expensive in the long run.
Good points Abhishek, I was wondering if you could post a link to your previous refernce about why One India is expensive in the long run.
Taking BSNL Broadband connection is a big mistake as it works rarely at a metropolitian city even & i m writing this mail from outside cafe. Please let other people do not make the mistake i made.
Well, David, I shall do it soon. Been wrecked by lack of time. Meanwhile you can search it in the archives; the whole blog is categorised too.
Well, David, I shall do it soon. Been wrecked by lack of time. Meanwhile you can search it in the archives; the whole blog is categorised too.
Hi,
What ever rubish may be there in those BSNL plans according to you. But they are still the “First” and “Most” cheaper so far.
If you use even 150 mins permonth for STD calls, your money has already got the Value much more then earlier plans.
Do you remember the days when postpaid mobile connection (sept 2002,I bought my 1st mobile connection) was at whopping Rs.350/month and additional Rs.75 for CLIP. Even though you had to give arround Rs.2 per min for incoming and more than that for outgoing calls.
Entry of reliance made it dramitically cheaper, because RIM wanted to earn customer base, once he gained it sufficiently it also became as greedy as other players except BSNL.
Reliance has given same Rs 1/min anywhere in India plan almost 18 months before. But it was still charging 499+25+25 for the same. But Now BSNL has given the better offer for only Rs.299/month.
In the same order, no other company is providing broadband in smaller cities like Jaipur,Alwar,Kota. I don’t think any private player will come to these cities in next two yrs atleast.
Also BSNL DataOne is providing the actual speed they are promising and also at the cheapest rate so far.
I am happy to have Click n See speed at affordable price, it may be costlier for major downloads like movies or video files but atleat for srufing is really smooth and affordable. For major downloads one can schedule the downloads for NIGHT UNLIMITED (2am-8am), available in Plans 500 and onwards. I myself has Plan 500 and I am finding it infinitely better than anything else available in Jaipur, and if not for BSNL I don’t think anything else is sooner going to come in Cities like Jaipur (which is one of 15 largest city of India).
There is one thing which punch very much customer’s pocket that is while you get 1024 MBs for 500 Rs i.e. 49p/MB, But every addtional MB is charged at Rs 1.20. Which is 2.25 times higher approx, and if use some addtional MBs it might come you dearer than expected. But Reliance BroadBand is also charing similarily for extra MBs.
Could someone elobrate why it is so?
And ofcourse like anyone else I am also waiting for unlimited usage for fixed monthly rental around Rs 500 to 1000, for various speed. Something similar or better than Airtel Broadband.
Hi,
What ever rubish may be there in those BSNL plans according to you. But they are still the “First” and “Most” cheaper so far.
If you use even 150 mins permonth for STD calls, your money has already got the Value much more then earlier plans.
Do you remember the days when postpaid mobile connection (sept 2002,I bought my 1st mobile connection) was at whopping Rs.350/month and additional Rs.75 for CLIP. Even though you had to give arround Rs.2 per min for incoming and more than that for outgoing calls.
Entry of reliance made it dramitically cheaper, because RIM wanted to earn customer base, once he gained it sufficiently it also became as greedy as other players except BSNL.
Reliance has given same Rs 1/min anywhere in India plan almost 18 months before. But it was still charging 499+25+25 for the same. But Now BSNL has given the better offer for only Rs.299/month.
In the same order, no other company is providing broadband in smaller cities like Jaipur,Alwar,Kota. I don’t think any private player will come to these cities in next two yrs atleast.
Also BSNL DataOne is providing the actual speed they are promising and also at the cheapest rate so far.
I am happy to have Click n See speed at affordable price, it may be costlier for major downloads like movies or video files but atleat for srufing is really smooth and affordable. For major downloads one can schedule the downloads for NIGHT UNLIMITED (2am-8am), available in Plans 500 and onwards. I myself has Plan 500 and I am finding it infinitely better than anything else available in Jaipur, and if not for BSNL I don’t think anything else is sooner going to come in Cities like Jaipur (which is one of 15 largest city of India).
There is one thing which punch very much customer’s pocket that is while you get 1024 MBs for 500 Rs i.e. 49p/MB, But every addtional MB is charged at Rs 1.20. Which is 2.25 times higher approx, and if use some addtional MBs it might come you dearer than expected. But Reliance BroadBand is also charing similarily for extra MBs.
Could someone elobrate why it is so?
And ofcourse like anyone else I am also waiting for unlimited usage for fixed monthly rental around Rs 500 to 1000, for various speed. Something similar or better than Airtel Broadband.