Reliance Broadband NetConnect Plus Vs Tata Indicom Photon Plus
By Partho, Gaea News NetworkSaturday, July 18, 2009
Arrival of high speed broadband USB modems has refashioned the way people access and used Internet. You can just plug and play with USB modems on the go. With big players like BSNL, Airtel, Reliance and TATA indicom involved in the Plug2Surf game it is getting highly competitive. We had already done a comparative study on various wireless broadband Internet providers.
In a closer-tie, two giant telecoms companies Reliance and TATA indicom are hyped to be going neck-and-neck with their USB Modem services. Reliance Netconnect broadband + and TATA Indicom Photon + are being widely discussed and compared in different forums. Let’s take a comparative look at the high speed broadband USB services.
Let’s find out where’s the difference
Speed& Connectivity
Relaince NetConnect Broadband + Evdo (3G) claims to offer a speed of 3.1 Mbps and a uplink speed of upto 1.8 Mbps. It claims to be the fastest Internet connection. It’s said to offer a 30 per cent higher downlink rate compared to other wireless broadband offerings.
Tata Indicom Photon+ broadband claims to offer speed upto 3.1 MBPS. TATA Indicom’s service in certain parts seems disappointing with people still waiting the speed to shoot the beyond 1100 Mbps mark.
Area of Coverage
TATA Indicom claims that it,s USB device can work anywhere in India by automatically switching over to non HSIA Coverage areas also. But, there’s no denying TATA Indicom suffers from a poor coverage, limited to certain cities. It’s just available in certain parts of Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Jaipur, Mumbai, Jammu & Kashmir & North East States.
Reliance is way ahead than its rival in terms of coverage. Their coverage extends to 35 cities covering the highways and railways. The service runs through most part of the cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmadabad etc. Currently the service covers the following Indian cities:
Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Ernakulam, Erode, Guntur, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kakinda, Kolkata, Kota, Lucknow, Ludhiana,Mumbai, Mysore, Nagpur, Patiala, Pune, Rajahmundry, Salem, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupur, Udaipur, Ujjain, Vadodara, Vapi, Vijayvada and Visakhapatnam
Modem Charges
Reliance has three different Wireless Broadband USB modems – Huawei EC 1260, Huawei EC 168 C and ZTE AC871 at a
cost of Rs 3500. The modem charges for Tata Photon Plus is Rs.3600.
Tariff Plans
Let’s take a look at Reliance’s tariffs for Reliance Netconnect Broadband Plus service. Reliance Netconnect Broadband+offers a number of flexible tariff plans that comes in Netconnect Broadband Postpaid tariff and Netconnect Broadband Prepaid tariff. The plans start with pay as you go for available at Rs 299 monthly rental with Rs 2 per MB beyond free Usage. For the nocturnal workers the Broadband+10GB @Night goes perfect. It offers 10GB@ Night with a monthly rental of Rs 499 and 50 paise per minute during day beyond usage charges. Further, there’s a Broadband+10GB Night Add-on Pack for Rs 199 monthly rental that offers 10 GB of bundled usage. The timings for night extend from 10 PM to 6 AM. Further there are plans for 5 Mbps, 10 Mbps, 15 Mbps and
TATA Indicom Photon + tariff plans start from Rs.500 per month to Rs.1500 per month. For the Photon+ Lite Rs 500 plan, you get a bandwidth (download+upload+browsing) of 0.5 GB per month and for the Photon+Super Surf Rs 1500 plan, you get 15 GB. Photon+ also has a Surf @ Nite plan at Rs 950 for 2 (Days) and 10 (Night). The charges for extra downloads are Rs. 2 per Mb. In case you wanna pay for what you use TATA Indicom offers plans like Use n Pay which has a monthly rental of Rs 250, the costs for extra download is Rs 1 per min.
Tags: High, Reliance broadband netconnect, Tata Indicom Photon, USB Modem, Waiting
August 1, 2010: 5:41 am
Tata’s Photon+ offers a rather good service; other users who have commented may have been located where the higher speeds are unavailable. I haven’t tried BSNL’s, but their rates are lower. Vodafone does not offer 3G yet, which their customer service representatives will tell you right away. |
Atul |
July 26, 2010: 12:05 am
I agree with most of the people that Tata Photon+ is absolutely useless in terms of their claims. Their customer service is rubbish with incompetent people employed at call centers and they don’t hesitate to provide incorrect/inconsistent information (only if you get through their unfriendly and boring pre-recorded system!!). Would not recommend anyone to buy Tata telecom product/services….BSNL is great…being a govt enterprise you at least know what to expect. Tata is worse than even nationalized banks…. |
ADD |
July 25, 2010: 11:59 pm
I would not recommend anyone to buy Tata Photon+ or any other service. Their customer care/service is absolutely useless and frustrating. The call center employees are incompetent and provide incorrect as well as inconsistent information. The call center number and pre-recorded message system is worse than even banks and doesn’t get you the right answer. Even the direct Tata sales personnel were unable to provide proper responses….extremely frustrating experience and repenting to have bought a Tata product. |
Rahul Awad |
July 11, 2010: 8:45 am
Dont go Tata Photon Plus connection. First 2 months they will give good service and then will there “natak”. From last 1 week there server is down and with out intimating these people are doing there maintance. Customer support is so bad…if u tell them we are not getting the speed…we get ans that atleast ur getting the internet. The most imp things is that there hidden charges….while taking they will tell that so and so speed u will get …this and that. but in this they have charged me for sending mails also. other than down loading….changres they also charge for sending ails also. lot of hidden charges are there. I will suggest every one to go for BSNL high speed connection. Every thing is transprent and at a very che rate. Where tata or reliance is charging Rs1000 for 5 GB….and BSNL is charging 750 and that unlimited. better go BSNL this tata service is totaly fake. |
Nanditha Adithya |
July 2, 2010: 11:27 am
I have used both Tata Photon+ and Reliance.In this i felt Tata Photon+ is horrible and Reliance was performing quite well.But both are nowhere if you compare with BSNL. |
Theguy |
July 2, 2010: 6:30 am
If u r a heavy downloader photon+ is best coz @ rs750 u get 2hrs a day with unlimited download |
Girish |
June 16, 2010: 4:37 pm
Makes sense. I love your form of writing, its different, in a good way! Keep it up |
Santosh |
June 6, 2010: 8:14 am
Please don’t use the Reliance Netconnect Broadband Plus. The service is very poor and speed is very less. The download speed is 2Kbps to maximum 100Kbps(rarely). Moreover they promise speed upto 3.1 Mbps not equal to. Beware of their trap and the way they make people fool. Thes things will become clear after you purchase the non refundable Modem. Then their voice tone changes so the services. Better go for Wired connection or BSNL EVDO |
Amit |
June 6, 2010: 2:49 am
Dear All |
Dr. vinesh nagare |
May 27, 2010: 8:14 am
reliance webworld at bajirao road, pune is a worst centre. i get very bad service at this centre. one executive sold me broadband kit but does not activate it due to lack of light in the office. he does not give any information about activation to me. i went on & waited at my office for 5 days for activation. but the person does not give any answer. so i went to office again. then another one activate it. but till the date i does not get receipt for my cash paid. |
Suraj |
May 23, 2010: 6:54 am
Is there any plan in Reliance NetConnect of Rs. 801 for Unlimited Surfing and downloading?? pls reply and help |
TATA PHOTON 9225570387 |
May 6, 2010: 1:19 am
9225570387…WE PROVIDE THESE PRODCT SERVICES 09225570387 It offers high speed, high quality, low cost and easy to use Internet connection at home in two categories:Broadband and Hi-Speed Plans Add: Internet connection is becoming need of everyone with the change of structure of work as well as advancement in technology. Due to the great technology revolution and the increased number of laptop users, wireless USB Broadband or Broadband Mobile connection is becoming more popular. The major Player in the internet market of India are Reliance, Tata Teleservices and Tata Communications, Airtel, BSNL, Idea, You Broadband and Hathway. They offers different plans fom Limited to Unlimited usage with different speed options. Here you get detailed features, tariff plans and Reviews of Broadband Connections available in your city. |
virus |
April 24, 2010: 10:33 am
what are the future plans of these reliance and others in broadband —— are the prices coming down inb next few months !@#!#! |
April 14, 2010: 10:44 am
We Provides Airtel, Reliance, Connect & Tata Indicom Internet Broadband Connections. Also Provides, Tata Photon, Reliance, Airtel & Connect Data Cards |
Selva |
April 8, 2010: 10:44 pm
I am interested in buying reliance broadband plus so tell me about the prepaid and postpaid plans to my email address please! |
April 2, 2010: 1:52 am
When you are in not good state and have got no cash to go out from that point, you will need to take the loan. Because it would help you definitely. I take credit loan every year and feel fine because of it. |
sourabh |
Rajhans |
March 23, 2010: 9:37 am
I bought a Tata Photon + on 31st July 2009 having number 9230040689 9230040689 and account number 934185426. After using the photon I found that speed is very very low. I contacted customer support they gave me various settiing but couldnot increase the speed. The speed I was getting was in the range of 100 to 300 kbps. This was tested from the website provided by Tata support executive. The complaint was registered vide email on august 10 2009 vide docket number 184342283. Various executive visited my house, changed various setting in the computer but could not increase the speed. They checked with 2-3 computers at various locations in house and even used their own laptop to check but of no avail. On complaining to nodal office on august 11 2009 he closed the call informing me that speed between 256 kbps to 600 kbps is Ok. and had no explanation why my Photon is working so slow. On appealling to to Applleate Authority vide no. 193074549 dated 14th October 2009 I am yet to receive any answer. I hv stopped using the connection and is running around to get my refund from the comapny, for this expensive white elephant where the ad claims speed upto 3.1 MBPs but comapny says it is not possible. Now they are only asking for the bill which they have generated without solving the problem. The 3 bills I have already paid without getting any service, they are silent about it. The complaint to Nodal Office and Apellate Authority is still pending. |
March 18, 2010: 2:29 pm
i have idea net setter device which is working soo poor m cheated by idea , they clim for 223kbps but my 1 giving me on 3kbps |
March 18, 2010: 8:15 am
i’m also wondering which modem is better EC 168 C or EC 1260? i personally like EC 168 C better but the customer care says it’s stopped production 10 months back wonder if it’s true |
ALo |
March 17, 2010: 12:30 pm
Hi Everybody, I agree that TATA guys are doing harm to their brand name and laundering money from people. And I learned it hard way. I bought a Photon+ connection but before buying I asked for a demo of it. The demo was rather satisfactory in that it showed a speed of more than 1 Mbps. So I immediately applied for a connection. But to my surprise, when they delivered me my device, it was giving me a speed of 3Kbps (claim is for 3Mbps, irony!!!). I mmediately recognized that I was being cheated by TATA guys. This is how I stablished it: For the demo, they had broght a Huawei modem and it installed the Huawei Access Manager program to connect to net and monitor statistics. But the device that they gave me was not Huawei one and it installed some crap software that looked ugly, difficult to navigate and just to know the current speed that I was getting, it connected to internet and asked me to download a 5 Mb file which means my download limit would burn too. When I called the sales manager of TATA Photon dept (Pune), they said there should not be a problem since it is 3.1 Mbps device. When I insisted that they were chaeting me, they accepted that the demo had some different device and the one that I was getting was different one. Another thing is that, when I connected to net, the netwaork that was being shown was that of Photon Whiz and not Photon+. And it never became Photon+. Apparantly, they were trying to fool me like they are fooling so many other people. Now I am following up with the authorities to get whole of my money back. Burning my time and money to get my money back. Awsome TATA!!!! Be careful guys, please research before you buy these USB modems from TATA or any other provider. This technology is not so mature in India yet and companies here are always on the look out to plunder people. After sales support is miserable everywhere. About TATA Photon+, please be sure to take the demo, ask the model that is being used for the demo and before you hand out any cash confirm that they have the demo model available in stock. Else they will give you some crap and charge moollah for that. Very few might be aware that TATA guys have various manufactures for various USB broadband modems that they offer. I bought a Photon+ connection. It has Huawei and Epivalley(not sure on this one). Huawei is for Photon+ while Epivalley is for Plug to Surf Whiz. I was being given the latter card and not the Huawei one. Beware!!!!!!! |
Prem Kumar |
March 10, 2010: 12:42 am
I want to take a broadband connection. So, after readind the article, I want ro go with Reliance Broadband +. So, tell me if there is any unlimited plans avilable |
Shekhar |
March 1, 2010: 6:30 am
according to me..wait for next two to three year as |
juvala |
February 25, 2010: 5:05 am
hi, i want a prepaid net usb device with maximum or unlimited download speed right now, am downloading with my mobile and its so slow. pls suggest. my location is near madurai |
santosh |
February 11, 2010: 10:55 pm
Anyone using tata or reliance broadband in wagholi, Pune, near wagheshar temple area? I need to know which broadband connection will work there…I need minimum speed of 128 kbps. Please respond |
February 10, 2010: 5:34 am
i wanna buy a data card what should i chose tata photon or reliance give me advice |
Max |
February 7, 2010: 2:47 am
hello every1, |
Photon