BSNL WiMax Review: My experience with WiMax service in India
Read this article to learn my experience with BSNL WiMax in Kerala, India. I have provided a detailed review of the WiMax services from BSNL.
DISCLAIMER: In this article, I am talking about some of my good experience with BSNL. Before you conclude on their services, do not forget to read some of my bad experience with them. Links to those bad experiences are given at the end of the article.
I recently shifted from Bangalore to Kochi. Relocation is always a pain and each time I relocate, getting a high speed internet is one of the biggest challenges for me, even though it is supposed to be a trivial thing for most people. When I moved from USA to Bangalore, I went through a lot of hurdles to get a broadband connection from Airtel in Bangalore. You can read more about my experience with Airtel broadband service. But I was of the impression that such experiences are not very common and I may have to never experience the same, but I proved wrong when I relocated again to Kochi.
Before I decided to move to Kochi, I planned ahead to make sure I will have a broadband connection when I reach there. I called Airtel customer support to cancel my Bangalore connection, so that I can apply for a new connection from any provider of my choice in Kochi. But Airtel guys convinced me to "transfer" the broadband account instead of choosing another provider in Kochi. They assured me that I will have an uninterrupted internet connection in Bangalore and Kochi and we agreed up on canceling the connection in Bangalore just a few days before they activate the new connection in Kochi. After I reached Kochi, few days later, Airtel Kochi office called me to inform that a connection is not feasible in the area where I live.
I lost several days without internet since I was waiting for Airtel people to show up. At last, they said they are canceling my old account, but about one month later, they still sent me a new statement to make payment. Okay, leave that aside. Airtel is Airtel and I never expected anything better. Let us come to the topic - Experience and review of BSNL WiMax internet.My Experience with BSNL
After it was confirmed that I can't get Airtel broadband, I visited BSNL office. I was happy to see they have a customer service center but it did not last long because they simply asked me to go to the backside office where I was greeted with large number of banners and notices from trade unions within BSNL. (Such banners are very common in front of all public sector/govt offices in Kerala).
There was no one to talk to, even though I saw many people standing outside and chatting or smoking. I wasn't sure if they are employees or visitors. I went ahead and asked one of them if they could tell me whom to ask about getting a broadband connection. To my surprise, the guy asked my address and said he will go check and comeback. He went to my house in his scooter and came back in few minutes saying there is a shortage of 30 meter cable and it may take 2-3 days to get new cable.
I kept visiting the BSNL office every 2-3 days asking if they have got the cable. About 2 weeks passed and I started losing patience. Finally, I walked into a room, which says 'restricted area' and asked if it is possible to give an "YES" or "NO" answer regarding an internet connection for me. Then a gentleman suggested I could go for BSNL WiMax, which is one of the best options in Kerala, which has very less downtime and requires almost no maintenance. I was reluctant to go for a new technology since I depend on internet for living and I did not have a lot of trust on a new technology, especially with BSNL, considering the plethora of trade union banners I saw in the telecom service provider's office!
However, since I realized a wired broadband from BSNL or any other service provider is not feasible in the near future, I decided to go for BSNL WiMax service. Another reason I opted for Wi-Max was, there is no initial setup cost other than the refundable deposits, which came to about Rs 1,750 in my case (Rs 1,000 deposit for the CPE device and Rs 750 advance for the monthly plan cost). One of the BSNL employee talked in detail about the advantages of Wi-Max internet over broadband and I was convinced enough to try it.
I filled the application form and submitted the address proof along with a photo. The paperwork was done in few minutes and they gave a small demo of how to setup the Wi-Max CPE device. I was told to come back the next day since it will take couple of hours to activate the service for me. I picked up the device next day and drove him, hoping to see high speed internet at my home shortly.Setting up Wi-Max
Here is an overview of how BSNL WiMax setup is:
I have written a separate post on installing and configuring WiMax at customer premises.BSNL WiMax Review
We are using the wireless internet through WiMax in our home last few weeks and so far we are satisfied.
I really need high speed internet but since the original plan was to use WiMax as a backup connection, I chose only a low speed plan (512 Kbps), which gives unlimited download. My plan was to take a high speed, wired broadband for my regular work and the lower speed WiMax plan for downloading, watching videos, playing games etc. Higher speed WiMax plans gives only limited bandwidth (1 Mbps or 2 Mbps, up to few Gb limit), which is the reason I decided to go for the unlimited, low speed plan for all non-important internet requirements.
Even though the original plan was to get a high speed, wired broadband plan for important work, considering the reliability of WiMax, now I am thinking about buying a second WiMax connection with higher speed (with limited download capacity).
My current WiMax plan offers 512 Kbps download speed, but practically I get about 0.75 Mbps to 1.20 Mbps, except during heavy rains. One of the big disadvantages of BSNL WiMax is, severe weather conditions may affect the reception and could reduce the speed. During rain and cloudy days, the internet speed appears to be very low, making me think about wired broadband connection as a backup. However, from my past experience in my relatives' homes, during bad weather, the wired connection will have more problems. Atleast, the WiMax will automatically solve the problems itself when the weather improves but the problems with wired connections require a service call and many days of waiting for the BSNL service people to arrive at your home.
Read advantages and disadvantages of BSNL WiMax.
Read more:
1. Is BSNL WiMax a piece of crap?
2. Disadvantages of BSNL WiMax broadband internet technology
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Thank you for sharing your BSNL WiMax experience. It is helpful.