BSNL Broadband

BSNL stands for Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. BSNL Broadband is the Internet service provided by BSNL for all its landline users. I have been using this service for last 8 months, and I am quite satisfied about it. I am writing this article for all those who would like to use this service in the future and let them inform about its advantages & disadvantages.

• You must have a landline phone of BSNL in working condition. Even if you have only incoming, it is ok. If you don’t have landline connection, you can apply for it & it is very cheaply available.
• You must have a modem (BSNL also provides MODEM, but right now, they are falling short of it) of type I, II, or III depending upon your plan (speed of internet connection).
• You must have a PC (obviously) of fair configuration.

Particulars	Tariff in Rs.
	Home 250	Home 500	Home 1000	Home 1800	Home 3300
Bandwidth (wherever technically feasible)	256 Kbps/ Up to 2 Mbps	256 Kbps/ Up to 2 Mbps	384 Kbps/ Up to 2 Mbps	512 Kbps/ Up to 2 Mbps	2 Mbps
Monthly Charges (Rs)	250	500	1000	1800	3300
Annual Payment Option to Customers (Rs)	2500	5000	10000	18000	33000
Download/ Upload Limit (GB)	1.0 GB	2.5 GB	5 GB	10 GB	20 GB
Additional Usage Charges/MB Beyond free Download/Upload Limit (Rs)	0.90	0.80	0.80	0.70	0.70
Free E-mail IDs/Space (Per E-mail ID)	1/5MB	1 / 5 MB	1 / 5 MB	1 / 5 MB	2 / 5 MB
Security Deposit	NIL	NIL	1 month rental	1 month rental	1 month rental
Night Unlimited (0200- 0800 Hrs)	Not Available	Available	Available	Available	Available
Minimum Hire period	Three months	Three months	One month	One month	One month

• Cheapest and affordable internet connection.
• Uninterrupted connection: As far as I am concerned, I have never had any problem with connecting to Internet.
• Instant connection: After purchasing my own modem, Internet connection was provided to me within 2 days.
• Perfect Bills: Until now, my bills are perfect as far as my data usage. With private internet providers, billing can be a problem.
• Checking data usage: You can check how much data you have used just by logging into your account.
• Good speed: If you have a 256 Kbps connection, you will get a speed between 150 Kbps to 200 Kbps in daytime or nighttime, which is fair enough for home use.
• If you choose yearly option, you get about 12 months of internet connection in the price of 10 months' charges.

• BSNL does not tell customers about service taxes & other charges like educational cess. That is, if your monthly charge are 250 Rs., then actually it is about Rs. 290 because of 12.5% of service charge plus educational cess.
• They have problem of availability of Modem. If the Modem is not available, it can take months to get your internet connection but you can buy your own at the same price from market. This situation varies from place to place. I live in Pune and here are some areas where you get BSNL Broadband connection just in one day and ther e are some areas where you have to wait for three months.
• If you do lots of download and upload activities, you will need to take connection with higher speed. In this case, home plan will not be good for you.
• Though the connectivity of BSNL Broadband is very good, the connectivity of b-fone is a big problem. Lots of times wires get cut or your phone is dead because of some reason and it might take weeks to repair it. If you are lucky enough (as I am), you get it connected in a few hours or days but overall the service of B-FONE is not that good. BSNL is trying to improve the service and it is much better than it was before arrival of private companies like Reliance, Airtel, and TATA.
• Speed in the evening is pathetic compared to daytime or nighttime.
• BSNL is claiming a speed of 2 Mbps but in reality it is not even 200 kbps but again there are some areas where you can get speed of 1-2 Mbps

• Change your password immediately as the password given has a very common format. If someone knows your ID, he can easily guess your password.
• Use a PC with good configuration, so that you will get good speed of internet.