Over the past few days we at TelecomTALK had been reviewing Idea Cellular's 3G network. We assessed Idea's 3G on Idea's own 3G network in Andhra Pradesh circle (in Hyderabad) and in Coastal Karnataka where Idea 3G is offered through ICRA. The Internet speeds were measured using Speedtest application installed on Samsung Galaxy Y Duos with network mode configured to 'Auto' - GSM/WCDMA.
Idea's 3G network was present in major towns and cities along the highway. In most of the cases the network and speeds were strong at central locations and decreased as we moved away. This is often the case with most of the operators, but we believe telcos must also consider improving the coverage in the suburbs as well. Peak time speeds get affected in central locations as several people would be accessing the network at such times. Advanced network solutions like Self-Organized-Networks (SON) can be effective here.
Interactive Map
The speeds we experienced during our testing are displayed on the interactive map below. Using the interactive map is similar to using Google or Bing Maps.
- Use mouse scroll wheel to zoom in or out
- Click and hold left button on mouse to move around
- Click on any point to know the speeds we experienced at a particular location. You can click 'Zoom to' to zoom into that point and move around
Speeds on Chart
The maximum download speed we experienced was 3.35 Mbps and upload speeds were always lesser than 0.20 Mbps.
Verdict
Idea is known to have reliable voice network and 3G is no different. We felt the speeds were slightly lower at times but was certainly usable. Readers, do you use Idea 3G? Do let us know your experience through comments. Also check out our on the road review of Airtel 3G.
Disclaimer
- The exact points of speed measurements might be off by few meters as it takes time to get GPS fix on the move.
- Before making a buying decision we urge you to check the internet speeds through your friends or through service providers. It must be remembered that 3G speeds vary widely from location to location.
Thanks to Idea Cellular AP Circle for providing us this opportunity.
