Dec 06, 2013 11:07 AM
2718 Views
(Updated Dec 10, 2013 09:39 AM)
My requirement was a reasonably fast but really unlimited Internet connection. I previously used Zylog's Wi5 broadband before Zylog's demise(i have written a review of that too) in my old apartment.
Now this apartment is exclusively serviced by Tata Docomo for Internet and broadband and I was initially happy to find true unlimited plans there . I was praying that it was Tata docomo and not Tata indicom. I am currently using 2 Mbps unlimited plan for Rs 1999 per month(comes down to~ 2250 including taxes).
My impression so far is:
The speed is very slow. In my experience this is the only ISP who is happy with providing less than the agreed upon QoS - the installation guy said that I will get somewhere between 150-180 Kbps when downloading and that it is a very good speed for the plan. Logchandru021y 2Mbps translates to~ 256KBps - but what do I know, I only spent 6 years learning computer science and engg. And even Wi5 - which was a wireless CPE based BB provided better than quoted speeds when it was working.
The cost is slightly high - especially when compared to Reliance wired BB. But mostly reasonable considering that this is a Unlimited plan without FUP/Circuit breaker limit. You can download as much as you possibly can, and I usually do.
The connection breaks very infrequently but the bandwidth gets throttled frequently - the technicians attribute this to old networking equipment. For some reason they need to reset the account else I keep on getting something like 30KBps for 3-6 days a month. Suddenly speed get worse and packet drop exceeds more than 10% even when you ping your DNS server or Google.com, which is very very bad when you consider that this is wire-line Internet - you can almost always get better packet reliability if you tether using your phone.
You might get some pesky feedback calls and I got a marketing call(i don't know how else to call this) - the sales person was saying that I have got this connection on August and asks if I am interested in any more of the Tata voice and data solutions without mentioning any specific product - that is a very wide net you are throwing there lady:-), anyway - not a deal breaker.
And it is not at all bad, the connection is, as described, mostly working - if you need to book a ticket or something then you can, if you disconnect all the devices to conserve the bandwidth. There are very few blackouts unlike many of the other ISPs I have had the misfortune of dealing with. But like I said - frequent unreasonable throttles.
Finally - and this is what impressed me most - the service response is the very best I have ever seen in any business in India. I send a email in the morning and the technician comes knocking in the afternoon(or evening if it is a Sunday!). This means a lot of peace of mind.
I have expressed most of these concerns to the technicians and from what I inferred, the problem is mostly related to outdated network electronics. And Tata Docomo does not have a lot of presence in Chennai or any other city for that matter for wire-line broadband. So, they are just servicing big apartments and businesses so this unreliability is understandable but not entirely reasonable.
Would I recommend this service?. Well, in my apartments in the current state - NO. Too much haggling for too little reward. I would rather go for the BSNL FTH plans, which they say will be shortly available in my building. It might be a bit more costly but I am sure the reliability will be better.
Note on BSNL: I have some experience with BSNL in Madurai when I was in college - the strengths and weaknesses were reversed - very reliable constant speed but if some thing goes wrong then you must lodge a complaint and they will take their sweet time to deal with it. But in the last 5 years a lot seem to have improved there in the area of grievance redressal, so fingers crossed.
Sorry about the weird formatting and the spelling mistakes in the initial review, if anyone had the misfortune of reading it. I was half-sleep while writing @ 3 AM.
