MTNL ADSL Tri-Band is God Sent for the Masses

Review On MTNL Tri-Band Wired Broad Band Internet Service in New Delhi. Review Written On:04/09/2005 19:00 hrs.

Member’s Reading this Review also read my Review on MTNL Trump Prepaid Cellular Service to Under Stand my Psychology of Patronising Govt Departments only. 

I Was Mainly Using MTNL Dial Up Internet Service Based On the Calling Line Identification Technology Called Internet Express Since the Date of my First and Present PC Purchase in the Year Dec-2001.However to Oblige a friend Who Started a Spectra Net Broad Band Facility in August 2002 I Switched over to this LAN Network Based Service and Used It till January 2003 after which I left it mainly due to high flat monthly charges of Rs 800/- Per Month.Also this Service had it’s downtimes very frequently and was just a 24 hrs always active dial up connection at speeds just 40 kb/sec. From 25th January 2003 to 31st August 2005 I was back to Dial Up Internet Of MTNL as Mentioned Above as my work needs had reduced considerably Since Then Mainly to E mail checking,Internet Banking and Virus Updates.

I Do Not Download Music and Video’s(Being a Aurangazeb) From the Internet and So Dial Up Was more than sufficient. Also MTNL Dial Up Internet is Still Very Good With No Disconnections and Good Connection Speeds at 50 kb/sec after Midnight and File Download Speeds of 6 kb/sec most of the time after 02:00 AM.As Call Charges After 10:30 PM are 6 Minutes a call This Is Quite Affordable and I Have Had No Complaints on this Front with Connection Being Established Immediately. However Since The Tri-Band Internet Was Activated in the 2571 Level Exchange in Karol Bagh I was more than eager to try it for the sake of trying it once and if I was disillusioned then The Trusty Old Dial Up Was Always Available. Since August 1st 2005 MTNL had also brought out a Excellent Combo Package For Exi-sting Basic Phone Users to Upgrade to the Tri-Band Facility For Just Rs 500/- Per Month Including Phone Rent+200 Free Calls Per Month+250mb Data Download on Tri-band Which was a Absolute Bargain.This Is Called the Broad Band Phone Combo Plan. I Submitted the Application Form to the Sanchar Haat Exchange on 29th August 2005 as the Last Date to Avail of the Combo Offer Without Rs 500/- Registration charges Was 31st August 2005 and Got the Acknowledgement From them.

Readers may also take this method than booking on phone or internet as written communication is essential for quick installation. 

The next Day on 30th The Tri-band Was Activated on my telephone,the Exchange Staff Phoned and Told me, and on 31st the Papers were Transferred to the JE of the Area and The JE Phoned and asked if he could come and install the Modem.This Person however came on 1st-September-2005 due to my asking and Installed the MTNL’s D Link ADSL Modem but since I am a pure do thyself computer hardware person I myself installed the modem on my own in the USB port Installed the Driver and Within a Few Seconds had the connection up and running after activating certain services in Windows XP. 

And Members Believe me the speeds were absolutely fantastic, imagine a file download speed of 32 kb/sec at 17:00 hrs and Connection Speed of 260kb/sec All Web Pages Were opening Like a Flash.I checked my account status, changed passwords and configured my Free Email id,and updated Anti Virus Software of 1.65 mb in just 15 seconds. Hence MTNL Tri-Band As the name suggests is absolutely god-sent and in the First 4 Days I have absolutely no complaints.Now I will come to the Preconditions and Usage Patterns for Any One wanting to go for this connection and also delve into the pyschology of MTNL.

1)Please Note that this and all plans of MTNL are of Data Transfer Type and Not a unlimited Type.This Means That At High Speeds Charges Can be Compared to Dial up Connection only the Difference being the work done in one hour of dial up can be done in 15 minutes in Tri-band. For Example an Hour of Idle Surfing Can Consume 10-12 mb of Data Transfer and Hence one is billed accordingly.File and Music Downloads Will Eat anywhere between 50-100 mb per hr.Hence Person’s Opting for MTNL Tri-band have to use the Service very judiciously or else the Data Meter will run like a Indian Railways WAP-4 Dual Air Brake 4000 HP Locomotive used in Tamil Nadu Express From New Delhi-Chennai.

2)The Pyschology of MTNL & BSNL is that Band Width is Precious Commodity Like Water and Hence Should Not be used Wastefully in Idle Surfing,Watching Movie’s or Downloading Film’s and Movie’s.Hence the Cap on Data Downloads.If They Start Providing Unlimited Downloads then there Servers would be completely choked by people with bad intents downloading free porn movies thereby depriving genuine need based users.I Fully Agree With this! Both MTNL & BSNL have done their home work before launching this service deeply studying the psychology of Indian People.

3)One Advantage of Tri-band is that One has to pay just a Minimum Charge of Rs 250(BB Rental)+ Tax for the Service and if one’s Needs are within the free data limit then a lot of money is saved.In addition 200 calls are free on the Phone.hence if this service fails dial up internet is always available with more free calls at hand. Since this service is always on connection one can use as much as he or she wants and pay accordingly than paying a flat high charge per month and not using it.

4)If People want a Unlimited Data Transfer and Unlimited Hourly Use for the Whole Month then this service is not for them.Please look Else Where Such as Cable Internet of Hathway or Sify and Not MTNL. Even though MTNL has Unlimited combo plan but the maximum and minimum speeds are capped at 512 Kbps and Large File Downloads Will Take Long Hours.

5)Also For Using the Tri-Band Facility one needs to have a 75% level knowledge of Computer Hardware, Operating Systems,and Modem configuration to solve basic problems themselves as MTNL Staff are useless on this.The JE Who Came to Install the D Link ADSL 2+ Modem Could Not do so himself and I did it myself and he was very relieved.

6)Before taking The Tri-Band Connection please purchase your own D-Link broad Bank ADSL router from the market for Rs 1100/- as MTNL Supplied Router is useless. Also the Life Long Rent of Rs 70/100 per month is not worth paying. MTNL charges rent but never bothers to maintain the same if some breakdown happens.

Updated on: 06-Jan-2019. 

I converted to a Unlimited Plan in 2010 May plus surrendered my MTNL supplied broad band modem router back to MTNL. At present I pay Rs 659+18% GST=Rs 778 per month for unlimited data, 100 free day calls & unlimited night calls to all networks.

7)After using for 13.50 Years I am more than happy and satisfied with the service with not a single break down .The Transparency of MTNL In Billing is 100% with the Data Meter recording data logged perfectly after every session, in fact sometimes less than what I have used and recorded myself manually after every session. Download Speeds are as high as 800 kb/sec to 1024 kb/sec at night. Hence Members do not even think twice about going for this service.

It is the Best! Long Live MTNL With Such a Superb Plan For it's Consumers. Overall:The Most Affordable High Speed Internet if used Judiciously for Productive Purposes Like obtaining Information on topics,projects,e mail,banking,Travel ticket booking etc.Not for Wasteful activities.

Swami Aniruddha ! 

MTNL Dolphin Delhi Trump Prepaid is Really a Triumph For Masses

Dated: 04-May-2005 02:00 Hrs New Delhi India

I was using Airtel’s Prepaid Mobile Service From 03-Oct-2002 (along with my first cell phone handset the Panasonic EB-GD 75) to 03-Aug-2004, as MTNL Prepaid Service was not popular then & after which I discontinued the service as Mobile Calls became very costly after implementation of Access Deficit Charge Regime from 1st Feb 2004. Hence I was without a mobile phone From 03/08/2004 to 24/04/2005.

Also in Airtel Prepaid Service unless one Purchases a Rs 3350.00 Recharge Card having a 1 year validity the Processing Fees Deduction is Only Rs 300 while as for monthly recharges it is Rs 150/- Quite steep considering that for the Rs 150/- Deducted Per month one can use the PCO Booth to make STD Calls for 62.50 Minutes.

However except for the high call charges, roaming rentals and roaming calls, the Airtel Prepaid Service in New Delhi was Quite Reliable and error free and I had no complaints with it and roaming facility was also superb even in remote places like Kanniyakumari.

On 21/04/2005, I had gone to deposit my mtnl landline phone bill and upon a casual enquiry at the Mobile service counter at the Telephone Exchange, I was pleased to know that MTNL’s Trump Prepaid mobile Service pack was available across the counter. I returned home and after reading the reviews on MTNL’s Trump Prepaid mobile Service, I decided to try the service just for the sake of trying it and also as I was a very satisfied customer of MTNL’s Landline Service, especially their caller line identification Internet Service Named Internet Express.

My Landline has not given me a single breakdown in the past 7 years so MTNL’s Service can be said to commendable on this.

I also have a fancy and Liking for Govt Departments like Post Office, Railways, Bharatha Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Income Tax and I enjoy interacting with them, from time to time due to their babudom and lethargic work culture and also the no frills simplicity of the staff working in these offices.However my experience has been very good as these departments have more human values, consideration, and have fulfilled their social obligations to the masses in adverse and inhuman working conditions with much less pay and perks than the private sector who are interested in fleecing their customers in order to grow their balance sheet sizes and make their shareholder’s rich.Examples are Tata Indicom, Reliance Infocomm, Airtel India!

Coming Back to MTNL’s Trump Prepaid Service I on 25/04/2005, Bought the Prepaid SIM Card From MTNL’s Sanchar Haat after filling the Required Forms and Attaching the Identity& Address Proof and PAN Copies. I was allowed to chose any number from a List of 17 Numbers and got my lucky no.The Behaviour of the MTNL Sanchar Haat Staff was very Good, and customer Friendly belying all Doubts that this was a Govt Deptt. Loading the SIM was Hassle Free and immediately my phone was registered as INA 68 on the MTNL GSM Network with Full 4 Bars of Signal Available all 24 hours.A SMS Message the next minute informed me that I had Rs 150/- of Talk time free, with every new connection which is a absolute bargain with 15 Days Validity Limit.

Members Please note that I live just opposite to the Karol Bagh Telephone Exchange central Delhi and hence full signal from BTS is available.I made my 1st Call to Madurai, to inform about the new no’s and the connection was crystal clear with no voice cracks or disturbance and billing is error free as written by other members also.I sent SMS messages locally all at 0.50 ps and all were delivered error free.However one National Message failed to get delivered mainly due to problem at the other end.

The service in other Parts of the city like munirka, green park, nehru place is also good with 3 bar of signal always available even far away from the exchange tower’s. The Biggest advantage is the affordability of service as all outgoing local calls are @ Rs 1.50 per minute and STD @ Rs 2.40 per minute comparable to any MTNL PCO and can be compared to MTNL’s Economy Rs 250.00 per month Landline service.

The Various Recharge Denominations of MTNL are Quite Generous like the Rs 550.00 Recharge Card giving Rs 400/- of Talk time and 60 days validity. But the Best is the Rs 2200.00 Recharge Card, having 1600.00 Talk time and Rs 396.37 as processing charges and rest Rs 203.63 as Service tax and educational cess with one year validity.Thereby Monthly Commitment is just Rs 183.33.No Other Landline or mobile Service Gives such freedom anywhere in India, with such low monthly cost, not even BSNL.

Hence if one just wants to be connected at all times and use the mobile for emergency and labour saving voicecalls and sms and not for doing long hours of Blah! Blah! Blah! Blah! Affordably, without any Frills, Extra features, Costs then MTNL Trump Prepaid is the way to go.

By the Success of the Service in the past 5 months since MTNL Restarted giving connections after expanding capacity, MTNL Trump Has a very Bright Future and With the onset of the Imminent Merger with BSNL, This Mobile Service would definitely be a Force to Reckon With by Private Players. Hence I would advise all new Prepaid mobile service buyer’s to opt for MTNL Trump prepaid Service as Long as SIM Card’s are available from MTNL Freely now.

This Situation may not last too long considering the demand of new connections.Once Purchased continue with the service irrespective of it’s quality.

Pros:Very Economical call Charges and Very Generous Recharge Options.Roaming Charges Made Nil by the Govt while roaming in BSNL Network. 

Cons:Coverage Ok within city limit, better outside Delhi in BSNL Network. 

Network Quality:Good Network Up Most of the times, even if down is not a botheration due to low cost of calls. Billing:100% Accurate, No Hidden Charges or Abnormal Deductions Noticed. customer Service:Never needed Help so Far.

To Sum Up:A Affordable, Nonsense Free, No Frills, Pure vanilla type mobile service for the matured and a sober Person who also has a Liking towards Government Departments like myself and against Privatization.A Vedantist Ideology!

Verdict:Will Continue this Service for ever without discontinuing it even if I have to change many mobile handsets in the next few years as long as I am able to make and receive calls& SMS or till the Govt Shuts it down by itself!

Updated: 03-Dec-2017 Sunday 23:09 hrs!

I still have my primary # of Dolphin as of 2005 given above! I ported my 3G 2010 Jadhoo USB Dolphin Dongle Internet # for WhatsApp to Vodafone in December 2013!

Since 15th June 2016 State of Dolphin GSM Network in Karol Bagh Central Delhi Area is as follows! From Dec 2017 the below mentioned problems have appeared even in Green Park Area of South Delhi in my Aunt's Phone!

In all Rooms of my house 1/2 kms from Tower 2G pure voice sms Network is 100% dead! I Can't receive or send SMS OTP's in time!

Phone will lose Tower Signal by itself for long hours without the user knowing it & callers will get phone is switched off or out of coverage area! This problem is also OTG On 2G!

Only 3G Works in 2 Rooms of my home & not in my Room where PC is kept for netbanking! For 3G Upgraded to a smartphone Samsung J1 4G VoLTE on advise of Dolphin GSM BTS Engineer but problem solved 75% only! 3 phones bought on 1 day 23-Feb-2017 @ Rs 6,900 each to continue with misplaced Patriotism in supporting a Sham loss making Company!

So my primary phone kept far away in another room of my parents where 3G Tower Signal comes to receive OTP & SMS alerts!

But call clarity, SMS sending speed, 3G Internet speed, is H+ upto 3.50 Mbps, Good/ok for basic work of G Mail, WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook Lite! But the best is to use the 3G Dolphin SIM OTG where there are No Problems anywhere on 3G BSNL NW PAN India & in Delhi!

In billing & cost, transparency MTNL Dolphin Rocks! Didn't face a Single wrong deduction of even 1 Paise in 13 years & never had the need for customer care support in 12 years!

Sagely Advice: Users wishing to get new Dolphin prepaid SIM in Delhi buy it only if you are like me as described in the Review& you can get a Rs 25 new connection from MTNL!

MTNL doesn't sell Full Size+Micro+Nano(3-in-1 SIM's) for new connections! Only full size feature phone SIM's! In 2015 for my Aunt I got a full size SIM for Rs 127(Tariff Plan Type)& after its initial tariff plan expiry got it exchanged to Micro/Nano SIM in 2016 for Rs 30 @ MTNL Sanchar Haat!

You will need to get the new Full Size SIM cut or upgraded it to Micro/Nano SIM after sim activation the next day by paying additional Rs 30.

Buy Dolphin only if you can afford a Touch Smartphone of Samsung J2 2017 4G VoLTE or the least Micromax Bharatha 1 4G VoLTE Feature Phone V407 which supports 3G & 2G also.Costs Rs 2,400/-online & offline.

If you can't get a Rs 25 MTNL SIM or can't afford the Bharatha 1 then buy a Airtel or Vodafone Prepaid SIM & insert it in any 2G handset of your choice for basic voice & SMS use !

Between the 2, I prefer & use Vodafone as Secondary GSM # since 2010.

In billing like Dolphin GSM, Vodafone though costly is very transparent & didn't activate a single VAS or deduct money from my SIM!

Updated:18-May-2018 

I've ported out all my & my family's Dolphin Prepaid No's to Vodafone & my first Dolphin prepaid # of 2005 on 04/10-May-2018 for which the above review was written as MTNL 2G & 3G both have reached a point of no return in my Central Delhi Area!

MTNL has adopted my sagely advice & is now offering Rs 25+49 prepaid SIM'S in their Sanchar Haats !

Swami Aniruddha !