![Uninor Offers Cheapest 2G Data Plans [June 2013]](http://telecomtalk.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Uninor-GPRS-packs-70x70.jpg?80e5e9)
As we can see operators who won 3G license and spectrum has rolled out 3G services in selected cities and soon their 3G network will expand to more and more cities.
BSNL & MTNL, the PSU duo are on the 3G track since 2009 and till now only STel does not roll out 3G services.
At the first phase of 3rd Generation telephony services 3G tariffs are really costly. According to my personal opinions, 3G pricing should be 3-4 times more than 2G pricing. So 2GB data on 2G which costs around Rs.98 should be priced at Rs 300-400 if you are on 3G.
But current pricing of 2GB 3G data costs around Rs 750 from any private operator; note that BSNL is also charging Rs 716 for 2GB 3G data. After withdrawal of Unlimited plans by BSNL, there is now no cheap 3G offering except MTNL.
As we can see operators charging huge if you choose PayAsYouGo plan:
| Operator | PAYG Plan |
| Aircel | 3p/10kB i.e. Rs 3/MB i.e. Rs3,000/GB |
| Airtel | 30p/20kB i.e. Rs 15/MB i.e. Rs 15,000/GB |
| BSNL | 2p/10kB i.e. Rs 2/MB i.e. Rs 2,000/GB |
| MTNL | 1p/10kB i.e. Rs 1/MB i.e. Rs 10,00/GB |
| Idea | 10p/10kB i.e. Rs 10/MB i.e. Rs 10,000/GB |
| Vodafone | 10p/10kB i.e. Rs10/MB i.e. Rs 10,000/GB |
| Reliance | 10p/10kB i.e. Rs10/MB i.e. Rs 10,000/GB |
| Tata Docomo | 10p/10kB i.e. Rs10/MB i.e. Rs 10,000/GB |
This indicates operators simply discourage users to go PAYG plan, and forcing them to use any data pack.
A comparison between all 3G operators data plans:
Note: All 3G data plans for mobile or dongle with 30 days validity/monthly rentals are taken under consideration.
From the above comparison chart, it is certain that 3G is not a cheap business like voice calls! Without not a single pan India 3G operator, it is really hard to say which operator is best on basis of tariff, coverage and services because you have 4-5 operators in your circles and you have to choose among them. PSU duo BSNL and MTNL is cheaper than the private operators. MTNL is still offering unlimited plans with 30/60/90/180 days, which eventually offering unlimited 3G data for Rs 750/month. MTNL also has a 7 day pack for high downloaders offering 25GB for Rs 499.
But what actually I am talking about is Pocket Friendly Billing. As you can see you opt for 1 GB pack at Rs 650 and after 1 GB your operator will charge you 10p/10kB or more i.e. Per 100 MB you have to pay Rs 1000! At the same time if the user opt for 2GB pack it would be more economical as 2GB data pack comes at Rs 750 – just Rs 100 more!
So it has to be like this – Whenever a user uses more than 50MB post the free usage, his billing will be as per next higher billing level i.e. after the user consumes 1GB+50MB his billing will be as per 2GB data plan. And I think it should be exclusively for postpaid users.
There are many subscribers who don’t care to check their bills or prepaid account regularly and at the end of month they are on Bill Shock! Airtel’s Flexishield Plan is a nice initiative with a bill cap. But I think flat rate plans should be introduced on 3G arena as they are existing on EVDO market widely.
Suggestions for User Friendly Billing:
- Have dedicated USSD and SMS code to check data balance and after each data session a SMS is to be sent to the users quoting his last usage along with remaining usage.
- When the user has 10% of his free usage remaining, alert him via SMS or email.
- Postpaid users must have a choice to bill limit – Rs 2000 to Rs 10,000 or users can set an alert when the billing goes beyond a certain value.
- Introduce Flat Rate concept on 3G. It is widely accepted on EVDO networks. Speed will be restricted once you cross the certain usage limit for the rest of the month. But I don’t like speed restriction at 10-20kilobit/s ! Make it as per 2G – 128kbps is fair enough.
- Whenever a user uses more than 50MB post the free usage, his billing will be as per next higher billing level.
3G is now at its initial stage, and operators invested huge – so don’t expect anything affordable and pocket friendly in anytime before 6 months. But it is also true with such costly packs – there are few takers, and network is mostly unused. In this way nor the subscribers neither the operator can make good deal.
On 2G call rates dropped massively when new players entered in the market in 2008. So wait for the next wave, but it as expected will not come in the form of 3G, rather 4G. Main attraction of 3G is high speed wireless internet – it is fast, so fast never experienced by Indian users even on wired broadband.
Remember Reliance Infotel is coming in Q1 of 2012. With LTE and Mukhesh Ambani’s ability to see future & customer friendly plans Infotel can kill 3G on the data segment.
What will the fate of 3G? Only for video callings and other video based VAS? What do you think?
dskushwaha May 15, 2011 at 9:21 am
<blockquoteWhat will the fate of 3G? Only for video callings and other video based VAS
.
With this type of charges users will prefer wireline broadband as the main connection of internet and will limit their usage while on the move by using GPRS.
In short 3G will not be a main source of internet connection. The real picture will be shown by LTE. Till then Good bye 3G
jan May 7, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Looking at the 3g rates I wonder why tata docomo is not providing service at rates lower than other giants, as they have done in 2g.
I think it may be bcoz…in 2g they got d spectrum at a much lower cost than d giants nd so wer able to give tariff lower than oders. But wen it came to 3g, dey paid d same amt as dat by the big bosses nd so charge high…
See their double standards…
For voice cal, wen oders charge 60p/min , dey charge 30p/min.
For video cal wen bsnl charge 70p/min, dey charge rs.3/min.
Again 2gb gprs at haf d rates f all other operators, while 2gb 3g data at equal rates…
ved May 7, 2011 at 11:35 am
Bsnl service is very poor………….
uday k May 5, 2011 at 1:44 pm
great info thanks for the same.
Got to know who charges how much in one go…. very true that 3g looks expensive still and your assumption of 2GB at 400 looks good but all are charging a premium i guess, just to collect the money given to Raja
RDB May 5, 2011 at 8:56 am
@vigrem
In chennai u shud start with bsnl!
vigrem May 4, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Hi tarun
Its really a useful information, can u suggest any provider with reasonable 3g charge with acceptable data usage…
PD May 4, 2011 at 2:30 pm
Very sad to note that some of the friends/colleagues are making quagmire on opinions/views that does not reflect one’s own experiences. Controversies can be generated by making statements without having firsthand experiences on the subject, and we have a many true living examples in the polity having questionable integrity. The best antidote is JUST IGNORE !
STEVE May 4, 2011 at 11:47 am
WELL SAID RAKESH BRO! THIS ARJUN CHANDRASHEKAR IS AN IDIOT & CRACK JACK… EVERYONE KNOWS. HE KEEPS ON CHANGING HIS STATEMENTS AND INSULTS OTHERS. THINKS HE IS THE ONLY SMART PERSON IN THE WHOLE WORLD.
rahul May 4, 2011 at 11:32 am
now mr. arjun will say dat bsnl/mtnl hav got spectrum for free as they are govt. owned…;D ;D ;D ;D
Vijay May 4, 2011 at 10:19 am
useful information thanks
selvam May 3, 2011 at 11:11 pm
@Arjun Chandrashekar now we understood abt your stuff man…ha ha…don’t waste our time man…
selvam May 3, 2011 at 11:11 pm
@Arjun Chandrashekar now we understood abt your stuff man…ha ha…don’t waste our time man…
selvam May 3, 2011 at 11:09 pm
@sachin it is a joke man pvt operators hav extended to give validity to(show) hold their position..it is not healthy move SIMs should have validity to know how the business is going for the cos…now they can manuplate to get some benefits from GOVT and to stay in share market..it is just another SATHYAM type scam..GOVT should restrict this
akhilesh May 3, 2011 at 6:50 pm
No its Not True .Bsnl 3g network Qos setting is 16000(16mbps) while idea have only 8000(8mbps)
But bsnl providing 3.6mbps only..while idea providing full 8mbps upload+ download acess….i think its not Network Qos Prob
Tested by mdma ..test urself
Rajive Borde May 3, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Govt company didnt paying tax… ye koi maha murakh hi soch sakta hai ya kaha sakta hai … improve your telecom knowledge and before any comment on TT..
check this TT post http://telecomtalk.info/mtnl-presented-dividend-of-over-rs-35-crore-to-communications-ministry/11504/
Raghu May 3, 2011 at 6:12 pm
@Arjun Chandrashekar
if u are not getting BSNL signal anywhere in Karnataka let me know. i will tell u the e-mail id of the person so u can contact him for that.
rakesh May 3, 2011 at 6:03 pm
Arjun Chandrasher… you are a foolish person the whole world knows and tells. Whole of TT people making fun of your foolishness. So stop bullshitting about others kutria and look at yourself first. Get your mind checked first and talk about others later.
You can put your opinion and praise and — pvt operators… but don’t insult others. otherwise you will get the same treatment! mind it !
Arjun Chandrashekar May 3, 2011 at 4:31 pm
@anand
AND YOU, You are The Big Fool, Who Are Prefering BSNL in Most Of The Circles BSNL Network Coverage is Not Improved. In Kansbahal City Of Odisha, BSNL Network is Not Available You Can Access Aircel Signals Only. So I Kindly Request Check out Private Operators 3G
Arjun Chandrashekar May 3, 2011 at 4:26 pm
@rakesh
Do You Know BSNL and MTNL is Having a Debit of 30,000 Crores and They Didn’t Pay Tax to The Government. And Do You Know That Mobile Internet Service is Not Introduced By BSNL/MTNL. It Was Airtel Who Started Internet Service. Then The Free Internet Service Recharge Vouchers Was Introduced By Aircel. So Pls Kindly Look Towards BSNL. Only Fools Like You Speak About BSNL. Do You BSNL Network Quality Even Worst Than AirTel. Airtel, Idea, Vodafone, Aircel, TD are Having Better QoS Than BSNL
sachin May 3, 2011 at 4:22 pm
Bsnl is giving plans at a lesser rate bec they are taking our money.the trick of bsnl is not giving life time validity to sim.all private operators are giving life time.bsnl is giving only for 3 ,6 months and one year only if we give 280 which gives only 250 talk time 3o rs for them for one year validity.before one year it was for 160rs get only 5o talk time 130rs for them.240 rs get only 40 talk time only 200.this is only for one year validity.they are only giving 1/4 th talktime of recharge to us remaining in their pockets.secondly minimum 15 minutes to half hour we should wait to talk the customer care.this two things are changed bsnl will be good other wise great waste. i was using bsnl before but stopped after sometime .all bsnl subscribers are not thinking of that its a bad move sorry to say.
anand May 3, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Uou are absolutely right rakesh… this guy seems to be some agent and may be living in stone age… lolzz… just keep ur words with u akash n getlost…. he seems to be a rich politition who have lots of money to spend on 3g
Saurabh May 3, 2011 at 2:38 pm
Private telcos should come up with surfers only, speed based plans with more usage. I’m a normal user with 2-3GB of usage a month. Providing 2GB @512Kbps(which I think is enough for surfing) for Rs.250-300 will be a good idea. This will add to their profits only. I’m currently using Idea 98/2GB plan and speed in our area is not that bad on 2G (3G still not available). It stays 160-200Kbps(day time) and 240-290Kbps(early morning/night) and surfing at that much speed is ok. But if we have 512Kbps/1Mbps on 3G with economical pricing it’ll be better.
tejas May 3, 2011 at 2:13 pm
well vodafone isnt allowing ppl to use its 3g network unless u activate a 3g data plan. it means no 3g for calls unless u activate a data plan…thats very unfair i guess.
rakesh May 3, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Akash,
You seem to be a paid agent or employee of one of the private operators having come here to ‘manage’ opinions. So keep your smartness with yourself… and don’t insult others opinions! And you stop ranting against BSNL/MTNL!
I am not a geek and am an ordinary user. I spend a lot of time on youtube for educational and entertainment purpose! So 25-30 GB for ordinary middle class people is a reality! You either seem to be living in a stone age or living in alternate reality! Get a life dude!
Boss, MTNL/BSNL are subsidized or in loss because of their poor HR policy. They have more people to manage the same operations compared to private operators! BSNL/MTNL is in loss because of the very same private operators have paid cronies in government, TRAI, DoT to scuttle major decisions which are good for BSNL/MTNL! They always plot to bring down BSNL/MTNL!
It is clear from your statement that you are a crony capitalist and Anti-Indian! So buzz off !!!
rajiev May 3, 2011 at 1:00 pm
airtel shows it’s gut’s how to loot !
Kanaga Deepan N May 3, 2011 at 11:48 am
Airtel WONT change its cruel attitudes… They got used to looting and being thick-skinned for complaints… It is you, who needs to change the operator…
yogiraj May 3, 2011 at 11:25 am
@yogiraj
All the operators are costly except MTNL,BSNL.
sam shibu May 3, 2011 at 11:25 am
MTNL 3G rocks, I get 280-300KBps download speed during nights. Day time is 120-140KBps. I use Huawei 1550 3.6MBps modem, it really rocks, I recharged with Rs 4500 – 6 months pack. All others are cheats !!!
yogiraj May 3, 2011 at 11:23 am
MTNL’s is the best among all. As it seems from the chart above.
rahul May 3, 2011 at 11:07 am
ANY IDEA WN STEL WILL START 3G SERVICE…????
rahul May 3, 2011 at 11:05 am
@Amit.G
bro earlier i used 2 admire ur comments/views bt since some weeks i m noticing dat u hav lost ur track…..govt. has allotted 3/4 licenses jst bcoz not enough spectrum in 2100(3g) range is available in our country
Manish May 3, 2011 at 10:12 am
Thanks for this wonderful piece of information…. I totally agree Airtel is the worst amongst all the operators now and the sooner they realize that the better would be for them…. I used Airtel GPRS for 30-40 minutes and was billed for Rs. 1100 for the same,,,,It’s time to wake up Airtel…
Karthik Kumar V G May 3, 2011 at 9:47 am
In my view operators should charge Rs 50/GB till 10 to 15GB and then they should charge Rs 100/GB. There by they will get more users in 3G segment and also for low users it will be very helpful.
rajiev May 3, 2011 at 8:34 am
very good info , wonerful job, thumbs up
Sureshkumar R May 3, 2011 at 5:59 am
Price of Rs. 100 per one GB is a attractive tariff now, If operators are ready to reduce their tariff to this level they will get lot of response by users.
aniket May 3, 2011 at 12:15 am
dont believe tata or reliance guys….they r the real suckers n cheaters…..
raghuvansh May 3, 2011 at 12:07 am
Dear Akash,
You seem to be a paid agent or a social media agency person from one of the operators having come here to ‘manage’ opinions. So keep your smartness with yourself… and don’t insult others opinions! And you stop ranting against BSNL/MTNL!
I am not a geek and am an ordinary user. I spend a lot of time on youtube for educational and entertainment purpose! So 25-30 GB for ordinary middle class people is a reality! You either seem to be living in a stone age or living in alternate reality! Get a life dude!
Boss, MTNL/BSNL are subsidized or in loss because of their poor HR policy. They have more people to manage the same operations compared to private operators! BSNL/MTNL is in loss because of the very same private operators who have paid cronies in government, TRAI, DoT who scuttle major decisions which are good for BSNL/MTNL! They always plot to bring down BSNL/MTNL.
It is clear from your statement that you are a crony capitalist and Anti-Indian! So buzz off !!!
Santu Sovan Mandal May 2, 2011 at 10:48 pm
really well thought & nice article.
Mahersh May 2, 2011 at 10:39 pm
Really useful information for all of us who really want to use 3G but if they read it carefully they will definitely think to move MTNL/BSNL as per their circle, onlu PSU operators can dare to offer affordable rates in 3G segmant. Great article. Other operators subscribers who are opted for 3G are wasting their money.
Akash May 2, 2011 at 10:23 pm
@raghuvansh Dear Raghuvansh, Unlike BSNL and MTNL, private companies are there to make money …they dont get unlimited subsidies from the govt …they need to make a profit to survive in an ultra competitive environment.so if they have paid 70000 Crores for 3G auction, they need to get it back somehow unlike BSNL and MTNL who dont care either way ( they have used tax payers money you see for bidding not the money they have earned ).
25 GB per month for Rs 499 is ridiculous …do u have any idea how much investment is needed to set up the 3G network …and average consumption is not 25 GB for middle class users …its only geeks who spend hours daily browsing the net for movies and porn who use this much data …if you are such a user, you should be willing to pay well for such a luxury
Please have a slightly more informed opinion instead of ranting about private operators in public forums
Ankit May 2, 2011 at 8:55 pm
yes i m agree with u .
first they do scam and bring 4-8 operator in one circle
and then do 3g auction
1 . if there is no 3 or more operator in one circle there will be no auction
2. no auction = less cost to operator
3. less cost to operator = less cost in tariff
finally we r screwup
anybody agree with me ?
IDRIS May 2, 2011 at 8:52 pm
But so far as vodafone is concerned they have no Default plan for 3G! Very sad!
Abijit Dhir Deo May 2, 2011 at 8:40 pm
That has to happen. Once 4G (LTE) come, the major chuck of business (data consumption) would be shifted to that from 3G. It’s for sure. Who would not like to ride a superfast train instead of an express train.
PD May 2, 2011 at 8:30 pm
Pink-slips need to be given to many in the erstwhile Raja’s empire !
the great vinayagam May 2, 2011 at 7:29 pm
its made for me
will comment soon after going through those plans
rajiev May 2, 2011 at 7:10 pm
bechare telecom operator!
adityanarayanan May 2, 2011 at 6:59 pm
also it would been better had the 3 g waves would be given like 2 g…atleast people will get affordable internet…anyways the govt will blow the 1 lac crores gotten in auctions on stinking subsidies any ways….
Amit.G May 2, 2011 at 6:55 pm
Its neither the fault of operators nor the Customers, Its because of our greedy UPA govt who wanted to make lot of money by keeping auction in a competitive maner( 4slots/circle). Now literally it is killing telecom sector. Today Airtel is planning to issue Bonds to raise $750million to pay debt of $9billion raised to acquire ZAIN in Africa. ZAIN is making heavy loss & Airtel’s condition in africa is worst than our India’s Uninor. But uninor has strong backup from telenor which has revenues of $18 billion & Airtel has $9billion. Now in India Profits of Airtel is dropping every year. Airtel is in trouble!! Govt should come up with some plans to make our Indian companies bloom
Sunil Sharma May 2, 2011 at 6:53 pm
mtnl jai ho, bsnl chor eating money & remove unltd plan
3G data tariffs should be 25GB download/30 days for Rs. 499. already MTNL delhi is providing 25gb with 7 days validity for Rs. 499. this should just be extended to 30 days validity. when mtnl delhi can offer unlimited 3G for Rs. 750/month (200GB cap), then why not a mere 25GB/month for Rs. 499?
Ankit May 2, 2011 at 6:01 pm
airtel sing song in African language and tell “India ka network ” and stupid ppl still using there service
hardeep May 2, 2011 at 5:19 pm
please read properly before jumping on to comment
raghuvansh May 2, 2011 at 5:11 pm
the 3G data tariffs should be 25GB download/30 days for rs.499. already MTNL delhi is providing 25gb with 7 days validity for rs.499. this should just be extended to 30 days validity. when mtnl delhi can offer unlimited 3G for rs.750/month (200GB cap), then why not a mere 25GB/month for rs.499?
in today’s day and age where webpages are multimedia rich and heavy, music downloads, video-conferencing etc are becoming common, 20-25 GB is required on average by ‘most’ normal users (not all). also, most indian middle-class cannot afford to pay more than rs.500/month for high speed internet.
I AM NOT REFERRING TO PRIVATE MOBILE COMPANIES. THEY ARE BORN TO F**** AND LOOT INDIAN CONSUMERS! THE ABOVE SUGGESTIONS ARE ONLY FOR MTNL AND BSNL
Ankit May 2, 2011 at 4:55 pm
“According to my personal opinions, 3G pricing should be 3-4 times more than 2G pricing”
you r wrong it’s 7-8 4 times more than 2G pricing
Vikas Patidar May 2, 2011 at 4:55 pm
Thanks @Telecom talk for this detailed informaition.
Well i would only say about 3G is that Operators are just dreaming.
UNKO ye pata ni he ki log bhi sab jaante he. Paisa koi focut me ni aata he.
If we talk about the average users then probably the buy a phone from the range 5000-10000 Rs. And most of the phones dont have 3G and if have then no front camera and data speed not more than 384 Kbps which is nothing.
Kamal Halder May 2, 2011 at 4:51 pm
A decent plan would have been Rs 1000 for ten Gb 30 days Vality and 750 for 5 Gb with 30 days Validity. The Plan which BSNL has now is all fair near about 1200 for 10 Gb, but with BSNL you can never be sure for the speed as their service is still one of the worst in most of the area of the city like Kolkata .
hardeep May 2, 2011 at 4:36 pm
reliance netconnect is best right now….. 18GB for Rs. 3000/- with 6 months validity….. n speed is good too!!!!!
tagore May 2, 2011 at 4:33 pm
I don’t see any prospect of 3G use in a big way in the near future. My experience shows that not even 1 in 10 mobile users have an idea of what the 3G is all about. Most of them even do not experience 2G GPRS fully. So let the 3G operators wallow in their dreams of big money, until they are brought to the earth. The demand by these operators that the Centre return their money cannot be ruled out in a few years.
hardeep May 2, 2011 at 4:23 pm
3G is of no use to anyone untill its affordable…..
alamgir May 2, 2011 at 4:15 pm
The suggestions are too optimistic for a market where players like AIRTEL are sucking the balance from customers without even intimating them about the balance deduction (ROBBERY). As far as plans go, even 2G call rates were around Rs. 30 for outgoing calls and Rs. 20 for incoming calls when it was introduced back in 1995 and it took nearly 7 to 8 years to revolutionize it to reach the common man.
Shanthi May 2, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Docomo karnataka offers 1Gb plan on 2G at rs 45/month
Gaurav May 2, 2011 at 4:10 pm
MTNL also has a 3G Unlimited Blackberry Plan for Rs.1199/month.