Radhika Kamath

As more players come in, choices are expanding for the customer, both in terms of service providers and prices.

IF YOU are a heavy Internet surfer or you want to install a webcam at home to keep a tab on the goings-on while you are at work, then broadband is for you.

And the good news is, your phone line will be free even as you remain connected to the Internet, something that is not possible with a dial-up connection. If you are wondering whether this service is unaffordable, think again. First, the advantages of broadband.

Broader services to choose from

With broadband, you can do a host of things. Subject to bandwidth limits, you can listen to your favourite music on the Net even as you update your anti-virus programme or download the latest report on the economy or watch a live market update on CNBC.

Broadband service providers such as BSNL, Bharti, Tata Indicom, Hathway and Sify offer a host of plans to suit your requirements. For example, Sify offers three service plans — hourly, unlimited and data transfer ranges.

The first is more for home users who use the Internet for regular browsing and occasional downloading. It offers the voice over Internet facility.

The `unlimited plan' is best suited for users with simple mailing and text chatting requirements, as it offers unlimited access at different speeds.

The data transfer plan is right for hi-speed surfing, browsing sites high on graphics, video streaming and handling e-mails with large attachments.

Tata Indicom and Airtel also have similar time- and volume-based plans plus the unlimited category.

Speed: The vital factor

With a dial-up connection, browsing can be a trying experience, especially if you are uploading to a site heavy on graphics. With dial-up, a 5 MB file can take up to 15 minutes to download, provided the connection is continuous. If you have a 256 kbps (kilo bits per second) broadband connection, the download will take less than five minutes. On broadband, you no longer have to wait, twiddling your thumbs, for large files to download.

Slew of attractive offers

If you want to opt for a broadband connection but do not want to fork out on installation, then BSNL would be the right choice. However, you will have to subscribe to this service before September 30 for a waiver on installation charges.

Also, you can now get a 256-kbps connection for Rs 250 a month against Rs 500 earlier on BSNL's Home 250 plan. However, the limit on downloads/uploads has been reduced to 400 MB from 1 GB. For additional downloading, you will now have to pay out Rs 1.40 per MB against the earlier Rs 2. (The rates vary across various plans offered by the same service provider.)

If you want to be free of the bother of paying monthly rentals, Bharti may be a good choice. Its new plan, `Delight 256', allows unlimited downloads at 256 kbps sans the bother of monthly rentals. This offer will be available to Airtel's fixed line customers to start with. Delight 256 is best suited for casual Internet users. Hathway has introduced new and attractive plans — `Liteway Basic' and `Thruway'. The former offers 256 kbps for Rs 275 a month with a download limit of 125 MB. Additional downloading will be charged at 90 paise per MB. It may not appear attractive if you download heavily, but you may stand to save on waiver of registration fee on half-yearly plans. Also, while you do not have to pay monthly rentals, you can get cable modem on a refundable deposit of Rs 1,000.

Few service providers such as BSNL and Hathway offer a discounted annual payment option to customers across various plans. This option will save you upto 16-17 per cent on your annual bills. But switching to another service provider may be difficult; you will have to forfeit the balance.

Night surfing

If you prefer surfing at night, here is an option you can look at. BSNL has introduced unlimited night downloading for all home plans except Home 250 between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. While the security deposit has been reduced to one month's rental instead of two, one-time modem charges have been reduced from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1,200. Bharti offers a Night Surfing Top-up Plan that is an add-on, and allows night surfing for a monthly tariff of Rs 49. Existing customers can enjoy free night surfing, from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., by topping-up their tariff packages plans with the new one.

Pre-paid versus post-paid

If you want to determine the amount that you want to spend on your broadband connection, then pre-paid is the way to go. Service providers such as Hathway, Tata Indicom, BSNL, Bharti offer pre-paid broadband services. You can subscribe up to a speed of 512 kbps to any of the plans — time-based, volume-based or unlimited. The plans start from Rs 250-375, depending on the bandwidth and other value-added services.

But if you are worried that a pre-paid connection will limit your usage, a post-paid connection could offer you a greater flexibility. However, make sure you work out the total usage limit and the monthly charges including those for additional downloading, so that you are not in for a shock when the bill arrives. Most players offering pre-paid services offer post-paid services also.

Look before you connect

Modem: Purchase or rent? It is always better to rent a modem, even if the prices are attractive.

This is for two reasons. If you switch your service provider, you may be saddled with a modem that may not be compatible. Second, if the broadband connection is less than satisfactory on account of the modem, replacement issues can crop up. A service provider will usually replace a rented modem more readily than one that is purchased outright.

Installation/registration charges: Check if any or all service providers — BSNL, Airtel, Tata Indicom or Sify — are providing broadband services in your locality.

Then, check user experience; but this can differ from one locality to another. Also, check out the installation/registration charges.

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